NEW DELHI: The presence of senior Pakistan army officers at the funeral of one of those killed in India's surgical strike on Jaish-e-Muhammed's terror camp at Bahawalpur sparked speculation about Abdul Rauf Asghar - the younger brother of Jaish chief Masood Azhar and mastermind of the IC814 hijack , Pathankot fidayeen strike and the Pulwama attack that killed 40 CRPF personnel - being among those killed.
Foreign secretary Vikram Misri, at the official govt briefing on Thursday, refused to comment on the speculation about Rauf's death, but sources in security agencies said the funeral attendance was seen as a possible giveaway.
Rauf, around 48 years old, was the most senior Jaish figure residing in the Markaz Subhan Allah at Bahawalpur. Rauf is believed to be the de facto head of Jaish, managing all its operations, overseeing training of its top fidayeen and plotting terror attacks against India.
Rauf was also wanted in Daniel Pearl's kidnapping and killing
On X, BJP said Rauf had been "eliminated" while recalling his role as the prime conspirator and mastermind behind the Kandahar hijack, executed by him to secure the release of his brother Masood, the Pathankot attack and the 2001 Parliament terror strike.
Masood chose the targets but stayed away from the finer planning, leaving such details to his younger brother. Masood himself is believed to be in the protective custody of Pakistan authorities at an undisclosed location in either Islamabad or Rawalpindi.
Sources indicated that Masood was never an 'operations' man but the prime motivator for Jaish, who could turn 'jihadi' recruits into committed fidayeen with his fiery sermons. His recorded sermons still do the job, even as planning and execution of operations was left to Rauf.
Rauf arranged consignments of weapons, including M4 rifles left behind by Nato forces in Afghanistan, through Khyber Pakhtunkhwa-based smugglers for Markaz Subhan Allah.
Rauf was designated by the home ministry as an "individual terrorist" in Oct 2020 under UAPA. As per the ban notification, he was involved in setting up terror training camps in Pakistan and organising terrorist attacks in India from Pakistan soil. He is also wanted for several other terror attacks, including abduction and killing of American journalist Daniel Pearl.
Foreign secretary Vikram Misri, at the official govt briefing on Thursday, refused to comment on the speculation about Rauf's death, but sources in security agencies said the funeral attendance was seen as a possible giveaway.
Rauf, around 48 years old, was the most senior Jaish figure residing in the Markaz Subhan Allah at Bahawalpur. Rauf is believed to be the de facto head of Jaish, managing all its operations, overseeing training of its top fidayeen and plotting terror attacks against India.
Rauf was also wanted in Daniel Pearl's kidnapping and killing
On X, BJP said Rauf had been "eliminated" while recalling his role as the prime conspirator and mastermind behind the Kandahar hijack, executed by him to secure the release of his brother Masood, the Pathankot attack and the 2001 Parliament terror strike.
Masood chose the targets but stayed away from the finer planning, leaving such details to his younger brother. Masood himself is believed to be in the protective custody of Pakistan authorities at an undisclosed location in either Islamabad or Rawalpindi.
Sources indicated that Masood was never an 'operations' man but the prime motivator for Jaish, who could turn 'jihadi' recruits into committed fidayeen with his fiery sermons. His recorded sermons still do the job, even as planning and execution of operations was left to Rauf.
Rauf arranged consignments of weapons, including M4 rifles left behind by Nato forces in Afghanistan, through Khyber Pakhtunkhwa-based smugglers for Markaz Subhan Allah.
Rauf was designated by the home ministry as an "individual terrorist" in Oct 2020 under UAPA. As per the ban notification, he was involved in setting up terror training camps in Pakistan and organising terrorist attacks in India from Pakistan soil. He is also wanted for several other terror attacks, including abduction and killing of American journalist Daniel Pearl.
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