26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed's aide Mufti Qaiser Farooq shot in Karachi

New Delhi, October 1

Mufti Qaiser Farooq, a close associate of Lashkar-e-Toiba’s (LeT) Hafiz Saeed, has been killed by unidentified gunmen in Karachi, Pakistan.

Saeed is considered to be the mastermind behind the 26/11 attacks in India. Last month, another cleric with ties to the LeT, Maulana Ziaur Rahman, was shot by two bike-borne assailants during evening walk in Karachi. Sources said Pakistani agencies were making significant efforts to portray both Rehman and Mufti Qaiser as religious clerics with no connections to Saeed and the LeT. Previously, another individual linked to the ISI, Paramjit Singh Panjwar, who was the leader of the Khalistan Commando Force, was killed.

In February, Bashir Peer, a close associate of Hizbul Mujahideen’s self-styled commander Syed Salahuddin, was killed in Rawalpindi by unknown assailants near the ISI headquarters. He was shot at close range.

Following these recent killings, Pakistan’s ISI has relocated several of its “assets” to secure locations, causing unease within the country’s military-industrial complex. Approximately a dozen of these individuals have been moved to designated “safe houses” by the ISI. The need for caution in safeguarding these assets became even more apparent due to the earlier killings of two additional Lashkar operatives: Abu Qasim Kashmiri in Rawalkot and Qari Khurram Shehzad in Nazimabad in September. Rahman, a suspected terrorist associated with the LeT, was reportedly killed on September 12. He had been operating as an administrator at Jamia Abu Bakar, a seminary used as a front for his terrorist activities. The Pakistan Police labeled the murder as a ‘terrorist attack,’ suggesting the involvement of homegrown “militants.” — IANS

Earlier incidents

• Maulana Ziaur Rahman, with ties to the LeT, shot dead in September
• LeT operatives Abu Qasim Kashmiri & Qari Khurram Shehzad also killed in September
• In May, KCF leader Paramjit Singh Panjwar, who had links with the ISI, was killed
• In February, Bashir Peer, a close aide of Hizb leader Syed Salahuddin, was gunned down

ISI relocates ‘assets’

Following these recent killings, Pakistan’s ISI has relocated several of its “assets” to secure locations.