Abdul Rauf Azhar | |
---|---|
Personal details | |
Born | Bahawalpur, Punjab, Pakistan |
Religion | Islam |
Denomination | Sunni |
Movement | Deobandi |
Military service | |
Allegiance | Jaish-e-Mohammad, Harkat-ul-Mujahideen, Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami [1] |
Rank | Supreme Commander of Jaish-e-Mohammed |
Battles/wars | |
Abdul Rauf is a Pakistani Deobandi fundamentalist Islamist militant commander of the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), a Deobandi Islamist militant organization which has carried out Islamist militant activities in India & Afghanistan under the support of Pakistan's main intelligence agency. [2] [3] [4] [5]
The Abdul Rauf Azhar is involved in the hijacking of an Indian Airlines Flight 814 under the support of Pakistan's main intelligence agency and Taliban to secure the release of 36 Islamist jihadists held in prison in India – fellow Harkat-ul-Mujahideen members specially for his older brother Masood Azhar including two jihadists like Ahmed Omar Saeed and Mushtaq Ahmed. The hostage crisis lasted for seven days and ended after India agreed to release the three jihadists out of 36 jihadists, In 2000 the jihadists formed a new outfit named as, Jaish-e-Mohammed and have since been implicated in other militant actions, such as the 2001 Indian Parliament attack, 2002 kidnapping and murder of Daniel Pearl, 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, 2016 Pathankot attack and the 2019 Pulwama attack. The Abdul Rauf Azhar is one of the most wanted person in India due to his history of activities against India. [6] [1]
Abdul Rauf Azhar took command of the Jaish-e-Mohammed on 21 April 2007, when his older brother, Maulana Masood Azhar its former leader, went underground under the support of Pakistan's main intelligence agency. [2]
In 2009 the BBC News reported Rauf was one of the leaders summoned to Islamabad to help the Pakistani government negotiate with hostage-takers who had seized 42 civilians. [3]
On 2 December 2010, the United States Treasury designated Abdul Rauf Azhar as a terrorist. [7]
JeM commander Azhar maintains strong ties with the Taliban and Al-Qaeda, Lashkar-e-Taiba, Haqqani network sharing their training camps in Afghanistan, and exchanging intelligence, training and coordination. [8] [9]
JeM commander Azhar had strong ties with these Islamist political organisations Milli Muslim League, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (S), Allah-o-Akbar Tehreek, Sipah-e-Sahaba and also had ties with Difa-e-Pakistan Council the anti- NATO Pakistani umbrella coalition including links with ISI-sponsored United Jihad Council, an umbrella organisation of 13–16 separatist organisations that fight in Indian-administered Kashmir. [10]
The outlawed JeM is reportedly re-organising itself under its new commander Mufti Abdul Rauf, younger brother of the outfit's chief Maulana Masood Azhar.
Special planes were subsequently dispatched to Lahore, Bahawalpur and Rahim Yar Khan to bring to Rawalpindi Malik Ishaq, a jailed leader of the Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan, Mufti Abdul Rauf, the younger brother of Maulana Masood Azhar who is the acting ameer of the Jaish-e-Mohammad, and Maulana Mohammad Ahmed Ludhianvi, the chief of the Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan, to hold talks with the hostage takers.Mirror. Archived 2014-02-20 at the Wayback Machine.
US has slapped sanctions against three Pakistan-based key terrorists leaders, including Abdul Rauf Azhar the top commander of Jaish-e-Mohammed in India, who in 2008 was assigned to organise suicide attacks in the country.
According to the Daily Times—a leading Pakistani daily—Mufti Abdul Rauf has taken upon himself the task of spearheading the reorganisation of the militant body after Maulana Azhar went underground following two suicide attacks on President General Pervez Musharraf.
Azhar has been identified by the Treasury Department as 'a senior leader' of JeM who 'has urged Pakistanis to engage in militant activities.' In 2007, Azhar served as JeM's 'acting leader'.
The report cites a UN Member State as saying that JeM 'maintains eight training camps in Nangarhar, three of which are directly under Taliban control'.
Abdul Rauf Azhar | |
---|---|
Personal details | |
Born | Bahawalpur, Punjab, Pakistan |
Religion | Islam |
Denomination | Sunni |
Movement | Deobandi |
Military service | |
Allegiance | Jaish-e-Mohammad, Harkat-ul-Mujahideen, Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami [1] |
Rank | Supreme Commander of Jaish-e-Mohammed |
Battles/wars | |
Abdul Rauf is a Pakistani Deobandi fundamentalist Islamist militant commander of the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), a Deobandi Islamist militant organization which has carried out Islamist militant activities in India & Afghanistan under the support of Pakistan's main intelligence agency. [2] [3] [4] [5]
The Abdul Rauf Azhar is involved in the hijacking of an Indian Airlines Flight 814 under the support of Pakistan's main intelligence agency and Taliban to secure the release of 36 Islamist jihadists held in prison in India – fellow Harkat-ul-Mujahideen members specially for his older brother Masood Azhar including two jihadists like Ahmed Omar Saeed and Mushtaq Ahmed. The hostage crisis lasted for seven days and ended after India agreed to release the three jihadists out of 36 jihadists, In 2000 the jihadists formed a new outfit named as, Jaish-e-Mohammed and have since been implicated in other militant actions, such as the 2001 Indian Parliament attack, 2002 kidnapping and murder of Daniel Pearl, 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, 2016 Pathankot attack and the 2019 Pulwama attack. The Abdul Rauf Azhar is one of the most wanted person in India due to his history of activities against India. [6] [1]
Abdul Rauf Azhar took command of the Jaish-e-Mohammed on 21 April 2007, when his older brother, Maulana Masood Azhar its former leader, went underground under the support of Pakistan's main intelligence agency. [2]
In 2009 the BBC News reported Rauf was one of the leaders summoned to Islamabad to help the Pakistani government negotiate with hostage-takers who had seized 42 civilians. [3]
On 2 December 2010, the United States Treasury designated Abdul Rauf Azhar as a terrorist. [7]
JeM commander Azhar maintains strong ties with the Taliban and Al-Qaeda, Lashkar-e-Taiba, Haqqani network sharing their training camps in Afghanistan, and exchanging intelligence, training and coordination. [8] [9]
JeM commander Azhar had strong ties with these Islamist political organisations Milli Muslim League, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (S), Allah-o-Akbar Tehreek, Sipah-e-Sahaba and also had ties with Difa-e-Pakistan Council the anti- NATO Pakistani umbrella coalition including links with ISI-sponsored United Jihad Council, an umbrella organisation of 13–16 separatist organisations that fight in Indian-administered Kashmir. [10]
The outlawed JeM is reportedly re-organising itself under its new commander Mufti Abdul Rauf, younger brother of the outfit's chief Maulana Masood Azhar.
Special planes were subsequently dispatched to Lahore, Bahawalpur and Rahim Yar Khan to bring to Rawalpindi Malik Ishaq, a jailed leader of the Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan, Mufti Abdul Rauf, the younger brother of Maulana Masood Azhar who is the acting ameer of the Jaish-e-Mohammad, and Maulana Mohammad Ahmed Ludhianvi, the chief of the Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan, to hold talks with the hostage takers.Mirror. Archived 2014-02-20 at the Wayback Machine.
US has slapped sanctions against three Pakistan-based key terrorists leaders, including Abdul Rauf Azhar the top commander of Jaish-e-Mohammed in India, who in 2008 was assigned to organise suicide attacks in the country.
According to the Daily Times—a leading Pakistani daily—Mufti Abdul Rauf has taken upon himself the task of spearheading the reorganisation of the militant body after Maulana Azhar went underground following two suicide attacks on President General Pervez Musharraf.
Azhar has been identified by the Treasury Department as 'a senior leader' of JeM who 'has urged Pakistanis to engage in militant activities.' In 2007, Azhar served as JeM's 'acting leader'.
The report cites a UN Member State as saying that JeM 'maintains eight training camps in Nangarhar, three of which are directly under Taliban control'.