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How Rauf Azhar, Slain During Op Sindoor, Was Linked To Daniel Pearl's Killing In 2002
Kirti Pandey | May 11, 2025 2:11 AM CST

More than 22 years after American-Jewish journalist Daniel Pearl was kidnapped and murdered in Pakistan, India’s Operation Sindoor has delivered what many see as long-overdue justice. Among the nearly 100 terrorists killed in the airstrikes conducted in retaliation to the April 22 Pahalgam attack was Abdul Rauf Azhar — a key Jaish-e-Mohammed commander indirectly tied to Pearl’s death.

For Daniel Pearl’s father, Judea Pearl, and his former colleague at The Wall Street Journal, journalist and author Asra Nomani, the news of Rauf Azhar’s elimination has stirred a potent mix of emotions — justice, vindication, grief, and reflection on a long and painful journey.

A Father’s Clarification And Gratitude

Shortly after the strikes, a video started to circulate on social media showing Judea Pearl singing Israel’s national anthem, Hatikvah (“The Hope”), with the claim that it was recorded in celebration of his son’s killers being brought to justice. However, Judea Pearl was quick to clarify.

“Thanks for posting,” he wrote, “But, sorry, this was sung on a different occasion — a Rosh Hashanah gathering — and the only song that everybody knew was Hatikvah. It remains the only song that unites Jews everywhere.”

Judea Pearl, however, did not downplay the significance of India’s actions. In a deeply personal note, he wrote: "I want to thank all of you who reached out to me today in response to the news that India’s military forces have eliminated Abdul Rauf Azhar — a man described as ‘responsible for the kidnapping and murder of my son, Daniel.’”

He clarified that while Azhar’s group was not directly involved in orchestrating Daniel’s abduction, it played a decisive role in setting the stage.

“Azhar orchestrated the hijacking that led to the release of Omar Sheikh — the man who lured Danny into captivity,” Judea Pearl explained. Sheikh was later sentenced to death but was quietly freed and housed in what Pearl calls a “Government Safe House” in Pakistan.

His response also referenced the work of journalist Asra Nomani, a long-time friend and colleague of Daniel Pearl, whose relentless reporting has kept the case in global consciousness.

Asra Nomani: “Bahawalpur. It Did.”

Asra Nomani, who had worked closely with Pearl in Pakistan and led the effort to find him after his disappearance, posted a poignant tribute on social media, reflecting on India’s targeting of Bahawalpur — a city long known to be a terror hub and the ideological base of Jaish-e-Mohammed.

"When I heard India bombed training camps in Pakistan this week in Operation Sindoor... I had one city’s name on my lips: Bahawalpur. Did India bomb Bahawalpur? It did. I knew then India was striking actual hubs for Pakistan’s homegrown domestic terrorism.”

Nomani recounted the horrifying chain of events that began in late January 2002, when Daniel Pearl left a home she had rented in Karachi, never to return.

“My friend, WSJ reporter Danny Pearl, went to Bahawalpur in December 2001 with a notebook and a pen... Danny reported on the militant offices in Bahawalpur. He walked across dirt roads to find Masood Azhar’s Jaish-e-Muhammad office where it was recruitment day.”

It was there that Daniel Pearl unknowingly entered a trap. Through a fixer named Asif Farooqi, Pearl was connected to a man named “Arif”, who was later revealed to be a PR man for the militant group Harkat-ul-Mujahideen. Arif’s hometown? Bahawalpur.

Arif handed Pearl off to Omar Sheikh, a radicalised British-Pakistani man with ties to multiple terror outfits. Sheikh, who had been freed from Indian custody in 1999 during the IC-814 hijacking, would go on to mastermind Pearl’s kidnapping.

"Omar Sheikh organized Danny’s kidnapping. A total of at least 27 Pakistani militants were involved in the plot,” writes Nomani. “Only four men were convicted — and they were essentially freed in 2020.”

Justice, Long Deferred

Nomani recalled a January 2002 headline from The Wall Street Journal that read: “Militant groups in Pakistan thrive despite crackdown.”

“That headline could be published today,” she said. “Danny could have written this article today to help people understand Pakistan and its militancy problem.”

Her reflections also extended to the broader betrayal that followed Pearl’s murder. While India had jailed the terrorists before the IC-814 hijacking, Pakistan offered them not punishment, but sanctuary.

“Did Pakistan jail Omar Sheikh and Masood Azhar when they returned to Pakistan? No. Pakistan’s military and intelligence gave them safe passage. They used them as weapons against India,” she wrote.

Nomani’s unflinching account, echoed by Judea Pearl’s measured but firm statements, underscores the long arc of accountability in terrorism cases — one that sometimes spans decades, borders, and geopolitical games.

'Let Danny’s Life Remind Us Of...'

Judea Pearl closed his statement with a moving reminder of what this moment represents, not just for his family but for the principles Daniel lived and died for: “Let Danny’s life remind us of who we are and what we stand for.”

As the dust settles over Bahawalpur and India’s Operation Sindoor garners international attention, the voices of Judea Pearl and Asra Nomani stand as enduring testaments — not only to justice delayed, but to memory, courage, and the ongoing fight against impunity.

After the announcement of ceasefire between Indian and Pakistan Saturday evening, Nomani took to social media again with a post that mentioned Daniel Pearl as she recalled their deep friendship.

"As news of a ceasefire between India and Pakistan emerges, the urgency remains: Pakistan’s terror camps must be dismantled—for regional peace, global security,  justice long denied and the lives of innocents like journalist Danny Pearl murdered in the name of Islamic extremism and hate," she wrote.

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