- By Supratik Das
- Mon, 12 May 2025 04:33 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Pakistan Army is increasingly coming under global glare after photos went viral where top Army officials as well as most wanted terrorists were seen participating in the funeral of a senior Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist. In an attempt to play down the controversy, Pakistan's military spokesperson DG ISPR went into desperate damage control, referring to the terrorist as "an innocent family man" and "a preacher". But India has responded with concrete evidence, including a photograph of that US-designated global terrorist leading the funeral rites.
At an official press conference, Major General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General, tried to reject the claims as "Indian propaganda". Holding a Pakistani National ID card and information about the deceased, DG ISPR said, “This man is a local politician. He has a son and three daughters. He is an innocent man. India is spreading misinformation.” The attendance by senior Pakistani Army and political leaders to the funeral raised severe questions over Pakistan's persistent nexus with outlawed terror outfits.
Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri exposed the lies at a top-level briefing on Operation Sindoor, and unveiled a picture of Hafiz Abdul Rauf who is a key LeT leader and US-designated international terrorist leading the funeral prayers. “Giving terrorists state funerals may be a practice in Pakistan. It doesn’t make much sense to us,” Misri said, calling out Islamabad’s double standards on terrorism. India also listed several Pakistani officials at the funeral. It was attended by Lt Gen Fayyaz Hussain, Major General Rao Imran, Brigadier Mohd Furqan from Administration, Usman Anwar Pakistan Punjab Legislator and Malik Sohaib Ahmed.
Terror Links Surface Days After Pahalgam Massacre
This comes weeks after the April 22 terror strike in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, in which 26 lost their lives. The Resistance Front (TRF), a LeT spinoff, has twice claimed responsibility, but Pakistan insists on denying any connection. India has also charged Pakistan with thwarting TRF's listing on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) despite increasing proof of its engagement in cross-border terrorism. "Though Pakistan had objected to the listing of TRF at the UNSC, they hold funerals for such attackers," Misri said.
On May 7, India launched targeted air raids on terror installations along the Line of Control. Misri made it clear that the precision raids were specifically focused on terrorist launchpads and not civilian or military installations, defying Islamabad's narrative of belligerence. “These were limited, focused, and proportional strikes to neutralise terror threats. Civilian or military facilities were not targeted,” he said.
