Peshawar/New Delhi— Qari Eijaz Abid, a close aide and relative of Maulana Masood Azhar—the Pakistan-based global terrorist and founder of the banned terrorist organization Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM)—was shot dead by “unknown men” in Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, on March 30, local police have confirmed.
According to reports, Abid was killed in the Pishtakhara area of Peshawar, while his associate, identified as Qari Shahid, was critically injured in the targeted attack by unidentified gunmen.
Pakistani media outlets reported that Qari Eijaz Abid was affiliated with the Ahle-e-Sunnah Wal Jamaat (ASWJ) and served as the provincial head of the International Khatm-e-Nabuwat organization.
Local police have confirmed the killing and noted that a wave of targeted assassinations is sweeping across the country, particularly affecting religious figures linked to the Deobandi school of thought.
However, intelligence sources assert that those being targeted are not merely religious leaders but operatives tied to major terrorist organizations such as Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Hizbul Mujahideen, and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM).
Abid was believed to be a key recruiter for JeM through his association with Ahle-e-Sunnah Wal Jamaat.
While Pakistan continues to deny that terrorists enjoy safe haven on its soil, the killing of several high-profile individuals—many of whom were involved in attacks on Indian soil—has exposed Islamabad’s claims as false.
In recent months, numerous top LeT and JeM operatives have been gunned down in Pakistan by “unknown armed men” on motorcycles.
Since its formation in 2000 by Maulana Masood Azhar, JeM has carried out numerous terrorist attacks in India, particularly in Jammu and Kashmir.
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has designated JeM as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, and in 2019, Masood Azhar was officially listed as a global terrorist. (Source: IANS)
