Unidentified gunmen have shot and killed Maulana Raheem Ullah Tariq, a close aide of Jaish-e-Muhammed (JeM) chief Maulana Masood Azhar, in Karachi’s Orangi Town. The Karachi police have labeled it as a “targeted killing” and an “act of terrorism”.

This incident marks the third high-profile assassination of terrorists focused on India this month. Previously, Akram Ghazi, a commander of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), was gunned down in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, and Khwaja Shahid, one of the masterminds behind the 2018 Sunjuwan terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir, was abducted and found beheaded near the Line of Control in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

Authorities are currently investigating the involvement of local terrorists and infighting among JeM members in Tariq’s killing. He was shot multiple times by assailants who appeared to be familiar with the area. Tariq was on his way to address a gathering against India and Kashmir when the attack took place.

The recent assassinations have targeted significant individuals. Akram Ghazi was a top recruiter for LeT between 2018 and 2020, responsible for radicalizing numerous terrorists who infiltrated the Kashmir Valley over the past two years. Similarly, Tariq was known to be a close associate of Masood Azhar. Ghazi was shot dead by individuals on a motorcycle in Bajaur district. In September, LeT commander Riyaz Ahmed was killed outside Al Quddus Masjid in Rawalakot, Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Ahmed was in charge of Lashkar’s operations and recruitment in the region. In May, Paramjit Singh Panjwar, the wanted terrorist and chief of Khalistan Commando Force, was shot dead by unidentified gunmen while he was on a morning walk near his residence in Lahore.

Other recent killings include Maulana Ziaur Rehman, an LeT operative who was shot dead in Karachi’s Gulistan-e-Jauhar, and Mufti Qaiser Farooq, who was shot at a seminary in Gulshan-i-Umar within the past month. JeM terrorist Shahid Latif, the chief handler of the fidayeen squad that attacked the Pathankot airbase in 2016, was also gunned down by unidentified assailants in a mosque in Sialkot, Pakistan on October 10.

Authorities are working to gather more information and piece together the motives behind these assassinations. The situation remains tense as security forces aim to prevent further acts of violence.

(The article was published on Economictimes.indiatimes.com on November 14, 2023 and has been reproduced here)