Sagarika Mitra, Content Head of JAN KI BAAT, asks 7 questions on the killing of JeM terrorist Shahid Latif by ‘unknown assailants’ in Pakistan.
Shahid Latif, a close aide of Maulana Masood Azhar, a key member of the terrorist outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and one of the alleged masterminds behind the 2016 Pathankot terror attack, has been killed in Pakistan. He was fatally shot at close range by ‘unidentified assailants’, inside a mosque during the Fajr (morning) prayer in the village of Mandaiki Goraya, Daska, in the Sialkot district of Punjab, Pakistan.
Pakistani authorities in Sialkot, Punjab, have officially confirmed the killing of Shahid Lateef and another alleged terrorist at the hands of ‘unknown gunmen’. Police im Sialkot has revealed that Shahid Lateef was under the constant shadow of threats to his life, and as a result, authorities are treating his killing as a ‘potential act of terrorism’
Latif, also known by his alias ‘Bilal’, designated a terrorist under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and was a high-value target for Indian security agencies, especially the NIA.
Who executed Shahid Latif’s killing?
This carefully orchestrated killing has raised speculation about the involvement of local terrorists who were seemingly well-acquainted with the terrain, fueling suspicions that the operation may have been sanctioned by Pakistan ISI.
Shahid Latif’s ‘Terror Files’
Shahid Latif’s life in the world of terrorism began in 1993 when he infiltrated into Jammu and Kashmir from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). His activities caught the attention of Indian security forces, leading to his arrest in 1994. He was allegedly involved in narco terror activities. What followed was his trial and subsequent imprisonment for 16 years, primarily at Kot Balwal Jail in Jammu. It was here, where he shared captivity with Masood Azhar, the chief of JeM. It was during his time in prison that Latif forged significant connections within Jaish and Lashkar.
In 1999, Shahid Latif’s name resurfaced when the hijackers of Indian Airlines flight IC-814 demanded his release along with others in exchange for the lives of 154 passengers. Back then, Atal Bihari Vajpayee government had firmly refused the demand.
In 2010, Shahid Latif was released from jail. His release was part of a ‘goodwill gesture’ by the UPA government, aimed at improving relations with Pakistan. However, this gesture had far-reaching and devastating consequences for India’s national security. In 2016, he coordinated the Pathankot attack, which claimed the lives of seven Indian soldiers.
ISI role in JeM terrorist’s killing?
In the shadowy world of counter-terrorism, the elimination of Shahid Latif, the alleged mastermind behind the 2016 Pathankot attack, raises several compelling questions. Here are seven questions that hint at the potential involvement of Pak ISI:
1. Who were the ‘unknown gunmen’ responsible for Shahid Latif’s killing, and what were their motives?
2. Did Shahid Latif have insider knowledge that posed a threat to influential players in ISI?
3. What role did ISI play in Pathankot terror attack – which Shahid Latif had orchestrated?
4. Was Shahid Latif’s association with Masood Azhar and his integral role within JeM a key factor behind his killing by ‘unknown gunmen’?
5. Could an important member of JeM have been executed without the knowledge or tacit approval of relevant ISI authorities?
6. What was the extent of Shahid Latif’s involvement with the ISI during his time in Pakistan?
7. Did Latif have information that could have potentially implicated influential Pakistani figures or ISI backed terror networks?
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