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Pathankot attack handler Shahid Latif killed in Pakistan: Officials


Shahid Latif, a Jaish-e-Mohhamad (JeM) commander and key handler in 2016 Pathankot Indian Air Force (IAF) base attack, was shot dead by unidentified assailants in Pakistan’s Sialkot on Tuesday, according to Indian intelligence officials.

He was the commander of JeM in Sialkot for a long time. (HT sourced photo)

Designated as an “individual terrorist” under Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), Latif, 41, was killed inside a mosque, said a person cited above.

He was the commander of JeM in Sialkot for a long time and was involved in planning and coordination of several terror activities in India.

Also Read: Two years after Pathankot attack, Punjab police have ‘second line of defence’

Along with Kashif Jan, who was also known as ‘Ustad Ji’, Latif was in continuous touch with four fidayeen attackers who had barged into the IAF base on January 1 2016 night.

The fidayeen attackers – Nasir Hussain, Abu Bakar, Umar Farooq and Abdul Qayum, residents of Pakistan’s Punjab and Sindh, killed seven security personnel, after which NSG (National Security Guards) and army commandoes launched ‘Operation Dhangu’ and eliminated the terrorists in an 80-hour long operation.

An Interpol red notice was pending against Latif but like other terror leaders, he roamed freely in Pakistan and was involved in planning and execution of attacks in India.

Kashif Jan continues to operate from Pakistani soil for organising attacks in India.

The Pathankot attack chargesheet filed by National Investigation Agency (NIA), naming Maulana Masood Azhar, Latif, Jan and others in 2016 itself, stated that the fidayeen attackers had left two slips in Pathankot attack, which mentioned that “Jaish-e-Mohammad Zindabad Tangdhar se le kar Samba Kathua Rajbagh aur Delhi tak Afzal Guru Shaheed Kay Jan Nisar Tum Ko Meltay Rahenge. Insha Allah.”

India had allowed a Pakistani Joint Investigation Team (JIT) to visit Pathankot to collect evidence, but Islamabad violated the terms of reciprocity and didn’t share any evidence with Indian investigators.

A detailed dossier was handed over to Pakistan with evidence, including phone conversations of the four slain terrorists, their addresses, family members’ details, financial details of Al-Rehmat Trust (financial arm of JeM) and chats/messages of JeM handlers.

The US had shared evidence, comprising over 1,000 pages of chats and conversations between Pathankot attack handler Kashif Jan and the four fidayeens, with India.

The US had also shared details of a mobile number in Pakistan connected to a Facebook account of ‘Mulla Daadullah’. The account, operated by Jan, was accessed before and around the time of the attack using IP addresses of telecom firms based in Pakistan (Telenor and Pakistan TeleCommunications Company Ltd, Islamabad)

NIA probe also found that at the time of attack, the web page of Al Rehmat Trust was uploaded on rangonoor.comand alqalamonline.com, which are administrated by one Tariq Siddiqui with a common email for both sites, and its address, is in Rafah-e-Aam Society in Malir, Karachi.



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