Why It Was Targeted on May 7, 2025
During Operation Sindoor, the Indian Air Force struck the Mehmoona Joya Camp owing to its critical role as a control and training hub for Hizbul Mujahideen (HM). Intelligence linked the facility directly to the 2016 Pathankot Air Force Base attack, in which seven Indian security personnel were killed. Its sustained involvement in infiltration and terror operations across Kathua, Samba, and Jammu made it a high-value target.
Establishment & Historical Mentions
The camp is uniquely positioned under the cover of the Kotli Bhutta Government Hospital in the Head Marala area of Sialkot District, Punjab (Pakistan) Coordinates( 32°37’00″N 74º30’20″E ). This deliberate use of medical infrastructure as camouflage reflects a broader HM strategy of embedding militant infrastructure within civilian settings to avoid detection and air strikes.
Command Structure & Handlers
Several prominent Hizbul Mujahideen commanders have been associated with the camp:
• Mohammad Irfan Khan (alias Irfan Tanda) – Senior HM figure, mastermind of the 1995 Jammu stadium blasts that killed 8 and injured 50. Considered the primary handler of Mehmoona Joya, he provided strategic oversight for infiltration and attacks in the Jammu region.
• Atta Al Rehman Alfezey (alias Abu Lala) – Oversaw weapons training and indoctrination, directly linked to infiltration attempts across the border.
• Maaz Bhai – Operational commander for HM’s Jammu module, responsible for planning raids and ambushes.
• Irfan Ghuman – Specialist in Border Action Team (BAT) tactics, directing high-profile strikes and ambushes along the Samba–Jammu belt.
Terror Activities & Trained Cadres
Mehmoona Joya Camp has served as both a training facility and a launchpad for multiple high-profile terror operations:
• 1995 Jammu Stadium Blasts – Orchestrated by Irfan Tanda, targeting Republic Day celebrations, leaving 8 dead and 50 injured.
• 2016 Pathankot Air Force Base Attack – Attackers were trained and directed from Mehmoona Joya, resulting in the deaths of 7 Indian personnel.
• Cross-Border Infiltrations (2018–2024) – Recruits trained at the camp executed ambushes in Kathua, Samba, and Jammu, often using tunnels and drone-based smuggling.
• BAT Raids – Under Irfan Ghuman’s leadership, trained cadres carried out brutal BAT operations along the LoC, involving beheadings and ambushes of Indian soldiers.
Conclusion
The Mehmoona Joya Camp represents one of Hizbul Mujahideen’s most dangerous assets—an installation hidden under civilian cover yet central to orchestrating violence in Jammu & Kashmir. With a leadership core that includes Irfan Tanda, Abu Lala, Maaz Bhai, and Irfan Ghuman, the camp has consistently produced operatives linked to some of the most high-profile attacks on Indian soil, from the 1995 Jammu blasts to the Pathankot Air Base strike.
Its neutralization during Operation Sindoor on May 7, 2025, marked the dismantling of a key terror hub, underscoring India’s resolve to eliminate cross-border terror networks at their source.