A top Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) commander, Zia-ur-Rehman, was shot dead along with his security guard in Pakistan’s Punjab province on Saturday evening, according to media reports.
Rehman, also known as Abu Qatal, Nadeem, and Qatal Sindhi, was considered a key handler for LeT founder and 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed. Indian officials said the 43-year-old had been active in Jammu and Kashmir in the early 2000s before exfiltrating to Pakistan in 2005.
Investigators linked him to a network of overground workers in Poonch and Rajouri, using old contacts to facilitate operations. He was charge-sheeted by the NIA under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for his alleged role in the 2023 attack on Hindu minorities in Rajouri’s Dhangri village.
Authorities have not yet confirmed the identities of the gunmen or the motive behind the killing.
