- By Aditya Jha
- Sun, 09 Mar 2025 08:21 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
Mufti Shah Mir, a religious scholar of Pakistan who also had alleged links with Pakistan's secret agency ISI, was killed on Friday night by unidentified gunmen in the Turbat region of Balochistan. Mir was accused of helping ISI in kidnapping Indian businessman and former Navy officer Kulbhushan Jadhav from Iran.
Mir was also attacked last year by the unknown gunmen, but he had survived the attack. Mir was leaving the local mosque and was going to his home after Taraweeh (night) prayers when he was shot multiple times by the unknown bikers at point-blank range. The attack created a panic among the locals, and Mir was admitted to the nearby hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries during the treatment.
“Armed men riding motorcycles opened fire on Mufti Shah Mir, leaving him seriously injured,” a police official was quoted as saying by the Dawn. Mir was known to have been involved in human and arms trafficking and had helped ISI in several operations. He operated under the cover of a mufti (scholar) and was involved in operations with Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam, which is an Islamic fundamentalist political party.
He was reportedly active in the Baloch region and played a crucial role in the abduction and extrajudicial killing of several youths of the region. Mir had also played a key role in spreading religious extremism in the region. Kulbhushan Jadhav was abducted by a group of Jaish al-Adl from Iran and was handed over to the Pakistan army.
The operation was led by Mullah Omar Irani, and Jadhav was handed over to the Pak army through multiple intermediaries, including Mir. ISI later alleged that Irani, along with his two sons, was also killed in the same area in November 2020. Several reports suggest that ISI could be the agency behind Mir's killings due to an internal conflict.