On May 7, 2025, India launched Operation Sindoor, a series of precision strikes targeting nine terror camps across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoJK). These strikes were in direct response to the Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 Indian lives. Over 100 terrorists, including high-value Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) operatives, were neutralized in the operation.
Shortly after the strikes, videos and images surfaced on social media showing funerals of slain terrorists in places like Muridke, Lahore, and Bahawalpur. What shocked observers was the unmistakable presence of senior Pakistani Army and police officials at these funerals, offering prayers and even laying wreaths.
India’s Armed Forces and intelligence agencies released the names of several high-ranking Pakistani officials seen at the funeral:
Lieutenant General Fayyaz Hussain Shah (Commander, IV Corps, Lahore)
Major General Rao Imran Sartaj (GOC, 11 Infantry Division, Lahore)
Brigadier Mohammad Furqan Shabbir (Commander, 15 Hybrid Mechanised Brigade)
Dr Usman Anwar (Inspector General of Police, Punjab)
Malik Sohaib Ahmed Bherth (Member, Punjab Provincial Assembly)
Wreaths were reportedly laid on behalf of Pakistan Army Chief General Asim Munir and Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz.
The funerals were led by Hafiz Abdul Rauf, a US-designated global terrorist and senior LeT figure, with coffins draped in Pakistan’s national flag and full state honours accorded. Civil officials and members of banned outfits like Jamaat-ud-Dawah also attended, further highlighting official patronage.
Indian officials, including Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and the Ministry of Defence, condemned Pakistan for giving “state funerals” to terrorists, calling it evidence of a “deadly alliance” between the Pakistani state and terror groups. Misri displayed photographs of uniformed Pakistani officers offering prayers behind the coffins, questioning the message such actions send to the world.
“It’s also odd that the funerals of civilians are carried out with coffins being draped in Pakistani flags and state honours being accorded,” Misri noted, debunking Pakistan’s claims that only civilians were killed in the strikes
The presence of top officials at terrorists’ funerals exposes Pakistan’s ongoing support for militant groups, despite international pressure and its own denials. Such acts undermine regional stability and any prospects for meaningful dialogue between India and Pakistan. Indian envoys and global observers have called on the world community to hold Pakistan accountable for its continued use of terrorism as an instrument of state policy.