- By Vivek Raj
- Wed, 11 Oct 2023 03:38 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Shahid Latif, a notorious terrorist and the mastermind behind the 2016 terror attack in Punjab's Pathankot, was reportedly killed in Pakistan's Sialkot by unknown assailants. Latif, aged 41, faced charges under India's Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and had been designated as a wanted terrorist by the Indian government. He was a key conspirator in the 2016 Pathankot terror attack, which resulted in the deaths of seven security personnel.
According to the police, Shahid Latif was shot dead inside a mosque in Sialkot, and the attackers have yet to be identified. Another Jaish terrorist was also killed in the attack. The assailants fled the scene on a motorcycle, and an investigation into the killing has been initiated.
The latest incident follows a series of attacks on terrorists in Pakistan, with the most recent one being the killing of Mufti Qaisar Farooq and Ziaur-Rehman of Lashkar in Karachi. In February, top Hizbul commander Bashir Ahmad Peer was also killed in Rawalpindi.
Shahid Latif was believed to be the commander of Jaish-e-Mohammed in the Sialkot sector, responsible for sending terrorists into India and planning, facilitating and executing terror attacks within India. He had been arrested on November 12, 1994, and was deported through Wagah in 2010 after serving a 16-year prison term in India.
Latif was the key conspirator and played a central role in coordinating the terrorist attack at the Air Force Station in Pathankot on January 2, 2016. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) had registered a case against him in connection with the Pathankot Airbase terror attack.
He was also among the 35 terrorists who sought to be released from jail during the infamous hijacking of an Indian Airlines IC-814 aircraft (Kandahar Hijacking) in 1999. The Central Government had classified him as a designated terrorist.
