Islamabad: Mohammad Tahir Anwar, the elder brother of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar and the group’s head of military affairs, died under mysterious circumstances in Bahawalpur, Pakistan, on Monday, March 30, 2026. The 62-year-old, also known as Hakim Mohammad Tahir, was a high-ranking operative who had overseen the banned outfit’s training operations and weapons procurement for over two decades. His death was confirmed through the group’s official Telegram channels, which announced that his funeral prayers were held late Monday night at the Jamia Masjid Usman-o-Ali within the Markaz Usman-o-Ali complex.
The sudden passing of Tahir Anwar has sparked significant speculation, as neither the terror organization nor Pakistani authorities have disclosed a cause of death or mentioned any prior illness. Intelligence sources indicate that Anwar was a pivotal figure in the JeM hierarchy, responsible for managing the group’s operational readiness and supervising armed cadres at their newly established headquarters in Bahawalpur. Before his long-standing involvement in the insurgency, Anwar was reportedly engaged in poultry farming and was the eldest of 12 siblings.
This development follows a period of heavy losses for the Azhar family. In late 2025, Indian forces reportedly conducted “Operation Sindoor”—a series of targeted strikes on JeM facilities in Bahawalpur in response to a terror attack in Pahalgam. Those strikes were said to have eliminated several of Masood Azhar’s close relatives, including his sister, her husband, and a nephew. While Tahir Anwar had reportedly survived those earlier military actions, his unexplained death is being closely monitored by regional security agencies as a significant blow to the organization’s internal leadership and logistical infrastructure.
