Hizbul-Mujahideen chief and terrorist-designate Syed Salahuddin was seen publicly leading funeral prayers for Basheer Ahmed Peer alias Imtiyaz Alam, one of India’s most wanted terrorist-designate, who was killed in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Peer, who was listed as wanted terrorist, was the launching commander of the Hizbul Mujahideen.

According to the sources, the funeral took place in a Pakistan army burial ground immediately after the murder.

Sources also said many other ISI cadres also attended the funeral of the top commander, who was killed outside a shop in Rawalpindi on Monday evening.

According to reports, the unidentified assailants shot dead the Hizbul commander from point blank range outside the Rawalpindi shop.

Notably, Imtiyaz Alam was a resident of Jammu and Kashmir’s Kupwara district. He was living in Pakistan for more than 15 years. India had designated the slain Hizbul commander a terrorist on October 4, 2022 under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) for his role in terror activities.

Peer used to be involved in the infiltration of terrorists and expansion of activities of Hizbul Mujahideen, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and other terrorist organisations into Jammu and Kashmir through Line of Control. 

The killing of Imtiyaz in Rawalpindi is seen as a major setback for the Hizbul Mujahideen and may well be a message to Syed Salahuddin and other Hizbul commanders based in Pakistan.

Top intelligence sources told CNN-News18 that the nod to Syed Sallaudin to attend the funeral was given by the ISI. They added that his presence in Rawalpindi suggest that the Pakistan army is helping these groups.

Pakistan in the under the scanner of global terrorism watchdog Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and was recently dropped from the grey list by the Paris-based watchdog. However, the presence of a most-wanted terrorist in Rawalpindi shows FATF was given wrong information about the compliance.

India, which is working closely with the FATF, will take up the issue to multiple forums, the sources added.

A Sunday Guardian report, published last month, said India was working closely with the FATF, by bringing to its notice various evidence based reports that terror activities are growing in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Image source: Twitter