Pathankot Attack Mastermind Shahid Latif Shot Dead In Pakistan, Was On NIA's Most Wanted List

Dreaded terrorist and the mastermind behind the 2016 Pathankot attack Shahid Latif was shot dead by unknown assailants in Sialkot, Pakistan on Wednesday. One of the most wanted terrorists in India, he was booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act after the Pathankot terrorist attack which claimed the lives of seven Indian soldiers.

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Latif was a senior commander of the terrorist outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed which attacked Pathankot airbase in January 2016. First arrested in 1994 in Jammu and Kashmir, Latif relocated to Pakistan to carry on anti-India activities after serving a 16-year-long sentence in narcotics and terrorism.

According to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), Latif resumed his association with the Jihadi activities once he went back to Pakistan in 2010.

During the 1999 hijacking of Indian Airlines flight IC 814, Shahid Latif was among the 36 terrorists who were demanded to be released by hijackers. However, after the negotiations, he was not released.

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Pathankot Attack 2016:

On January 2, 2016, militants associated with Islamic separatist Kashmiri groups launched an attack on the Pathankot Airbase of the Indian Air Force, which is part of its Western Air Command.

In the initial confrontation, four attackers and two security forces personnel lost their lives, with an additional security force member succumbing to injuries later on. The intense gun battle and subsequent combing operation spanned approximately 17 hours on January 2, resulting in the death of five attackers and three security personnel.

Additionally, three soldiers, initially injured, passed away after admission to the hospital, bringing the total number of soldiers killed to six. On January 3, fresh gunshots were reported, leading to the death of another security officer in an IED explosion. The operation extended into January 4, confirming the death of a fifth attacker. It wasn't until the reported killing of a final militant on January 5 that the anti-militant operation was officially declared over, although further searches continued for some time.