Latest news with #HafizAbdurRauf
Time of India
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Who is Hafiz Abdur Rauf? Man leading funeral of terrorists killed in Operation Sindoor
Hafiz Abdur Rauf NEW DELHI: Hafiz Abdur Rauf , who led the funeral of terrorists killed in the May 7 " Operation Sindoor ," has been called out as a "common man." As soon as the pictures of him being present at the funerals went out, the Pakistani army called him a "common man." Pakistan's top official, DG ISPR Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, during a press conference, shared Rauf's details, including his national ID number, birth date, and family information. "This man is Hafiz Abdur Rauf, who is actually leading the prayers. He has three daughters, son and he was born in March 1973. You can see his family details and everything," Chaudhry had said in a presentation during a press conference on Sunday in which he had shown Rauf's details. Chaudhary also claimed that Abdul Rauf was a preacher and a member of the Pakistan Markazi Muslim League (PMML) party. Press Information Bureau's fact-check unit exposed Pakistan's another lie and said that the identity details shared by DG ISPR completely overlap with the details of Hafiz Abdur Rauf, a member of LeT's senior leadership since at least 1999 and part of the US sanctions list . Who is Hafiz Abdur Rauf? Hafiz Abdul Rauf is a 'specially designated global terrorist ' (SDGT) by the US department of treasury and is also on the SDN (Specially Designated Nationals) list of the US government. According to the US treasury department, Hafiz Abdul Rauf, a member of LeT's senior leadership since 1999, is the chief of Falah-i-Insaniat Foundation , operating LeT's relief activities in disguise. Earlier, India had pointed out Pakistan's connection to terrorism, citing a viral image of Rauf leading funeral prayers for LeT militants killed during Operation Sindoor, attended by senior Pakistani officials, with a wreath from Maryam Nawaz, Pakistan's Punjab's chief minister and prime minister Shehbaz Sharif's niece.
Time of India
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Pakistan calls US-designated terrorist Hafiz Abdur Rauf, who led funeral of terrorists killed by India, 'a common family man'
Pakistan's military has denied claims that Hafiz Abdur Rauf , a US-designated terrorist, led the funeral of militants killed in recent Indian airstrikes as a terrorist. Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (DG ISPR), said Rauf is a religious figure and 'a common family man.' #Operation Sindoor The damage done at Pak bases as India strikes to avenge Pahalgam Why Pakistan pleaded to end hostilities Kashmir's Pahalgam sparks Karachi's nightmare The statement came after images from the funeral in Muridke, near Lahore, showed Rauf surrounded by high-ranking Pakistan Army officers. This led to questions about the involvement of a globally sanctioned individual in a formal ceremony conducted with military protocol. Pak military shares identity card details To support its claim, the Pakistani military showed what it said was Rauf's National Identity Card, which listed him as an official of the Pakistan Markazi Muslim League (PMML) and the head of its welfare wing. However, the details released — including his CNIC number (35202-5400413-9) and date of birth (March 25, 1973) — match the records on the US Treasury Department's sanctions list. Who is Hafiz Abdur Rauf? Rauf is a known senior member of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), a group responsible for multiple terror attacks , and headed Falah-e-Insaniyat Foundation (FIF), LeT's charity front now banned. Both LeT and FIF are designated as terrorist organisations by the US and the United Nations. Over the years, Rauf has held several positions in LeT. The US Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) said he worked as Director of Public Service in 2003 and as Director of Humanitarian Relief in 2008. He was also in charge of LeT's charitable wings, Idara Khidmat-e-Khalq (IKK) and later FIF. Live Events Indian strikes hit terror facilities across PoK and Pakistan Operation Sindoor targeted multiple sites across Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir and Pakistan. Locations hit in PoK included Sawal Nala, Syedna Bilal, Gulpur, Barnala, and Abbas. In Pakistan, the strikes were carried out in Bahawalpur, Muridke, Sarjal, and Mehmoona Joya. 21 terror installations identified According to the Ministry of Defence, Indian forces had identified 21 active terror installations before the operation. These included facilities in Sawal Nala, Syedna Bilal, Maskar-e-Aqsa, Chelabandi, Abdullah bin Masood, Dulai, Garhi Habibullah, Batrasi, Balakot, Oghi, Boi, Sensa, Gulpur, Kotli, Barali, Dungi, Barnala, Mehmoona Joya, Sarjal, Muridke, and Bahawalpur. Key militants killed in India's precision strikes in Pakistan The operation led to the elimination of several high-profile militants. Khalid Abu Akasha, a trained Lashkar-e-Taiba operative, was among them. He was known for moving weapons from Afghanistan to Pakistan and had been working at LeT's central unit in Muridke. He had links with senior LeT members including Yahya Mujahid, Qari Yakub Sheikh, and Abdul Rehman. Another figure killed was Mudassir Khadian Khas, who managed the Muridke camp. He worked closely with Hafiz Abdur Rauf and served as his security head. He also had links to PMML's General Secretary, Hafiz Khalid Waleed, and was related to LeT founder Hafiz Saeed. In Syedna Bilal camp, Indian forces eliminated Mohammad Hassan Khan, son of JeM commander Mufti Asghar Khan Kashmiri. Khan had been part of the 2019 Pulwama attack and took part in key meetings in Islamabad. In Bahawalpur, Hafiz Muhammed Jameel was killed. He was JeM founder Masood Azhar's brother-in-law and held a senior leadership role. As per the defence ministry, he supervised operations, recruited youth from PoK, and helped collect funds for the group. Pakistan Gave State Funeral for Terrorist The funeral, held on May 8, was not a low-profile event. Images showed coffins wrapped in the national flag, military officers standing behind Rauf, and state security at the site. According to news agency IANS, officers present included Lt Gen Fayyaz Hussain Shah, Maj Gen Rao Imran Sartaj, Brig Mohammad Furqan Shabbir, Punjab Inspector General of Police Dr Usman Anwar, and provincial MLA Malik Sohaib Ahmed Bherth. 'They claim that only civilians were killed in the strikes on the 7th of May. We have made the point very clearly that all attacks on the morning of 7th May were against carefully selected terrorist infrastructure, terrorist targets,' Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said at a press briefing in New Delhi. Abdul Rauf Azhar: History of terror links Though Pakistani officials tried to shift focus by comparing Rauf to Abdul Rauf Azhar — the brother of Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar — their records differ. Abdur Rauf has been active in LeT's propaganda and financial arms since the early 2000s. He publicly supported LeT-affiliated organisations even after Pakistan banned them. In 2009, he led FIF's fundraising visit to Bajaur, where LeT operated both relief and recruitment efforts. The United States sanctioned him and FIF in 2010 following information from Indian intelligence after the 2008 Mumbai attacks. The UN Sanctions Committee also lists both FIF and LeT, along with LeT founder Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, as terror-linked entities. Despite these international sanctions, Rauf continues to operate publicly in Pakistan.
Hindustan Times
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Who is Hafiz Abdul Rauf, man leading funeral of terrorists killed in Operation Sindoor?
In an attempt to downplay a notorious terrorist's profile and portray him as a "common man", Pakistan inadvertently confirmed the identity and presence of Hafiz Abdul Rauf, a US-designated terrorist and senior Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative, on its soil. At a press conference, Pakistan's Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, attempted to portray Rauf as a common man with "three daughters, son" who had led the prayers of terrorists killed at the Lashkar-e-Taiba headquarters in Mudrike, Pakistan's Punjab, during India's Operation Sindoor. "This man is Hafiz Abdur Rauf, who is leading the prayers. He has three daughters, a son, and he was born in March 1973. You can see his family details and everything," Chaudhry had said in a presentation during a press conference on Sunday, in which he had shown Rauf's details. India flags terrorist Hafiz Abdur Rauf's identity India was quick to respond and pointed out the nexus of the Pakistani state and terrorists operating on its soil when it flashed the photograph of Rauf leading the funeral prayers of slain terrorists. "The identity details shared by DG ISPR completely overlap with the details of Hafiz Abdur Rauf, a member of LeT's senior leadership since at least 1999 and part of the US Sanctions List," a statement from the Press Information Bureau said on Monday. Hafiz Abdur Rauf, a US-designated terrorist, has been an active member of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) since 1999 and the chief of the banned Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation (FIF). He is believed to be a close associate of the November 2008 Mumbai terror attack mastermind, Hafiz Saeed. The funeral ceremony of terrorists was attended by senior Pakistani military and police officials, and even featured a wreath from Pakistan's Punjab chief minister, Maryam Nawaz, who is also Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's niece. The US sanctions database paints a more complete picture of Rauf's footprint in Pakistan. Listed under multiple aliases, Rauf is linked to several addresses across Lahore, including 4 Lake Road, Choburji Dola Khurd, Jinnah Block, and Chamberlain Road. He also held Pakistani passports CM1074131 and A7523531, issued in 2008 and expired in 2013. These details match the details about Rauf given in the database of the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the US Treasury Department, which maintains a list of Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons list ("SDN List"). With PTI inputs
News18
12-05-2025
- Politics
- News18
'Innocent Man?' PIB Fact Check Exposes Pakistan's False Claim About LeT's Hafiz Abdur Rauf
Last Updated: Rauf was seen in a viral video leading funeral prayers for LeT operatives killed during precision Indian strikes under Operation Sindoor on May 7 The Fact Check Unit of the Press Information Bureau (PIB) on Monday dismissed Pakistan's claim that Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) leader Hafiz Abdul Rauf, a US-designated global terrorist, is an 'innocent man." In a post on X titled 'Calling Out Pakistan's Bluff", PIB said Pakistan's Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (DG ISPR) had wrongly claimed that Rauf, a senior LeT leader, was just a 'common man." 'Pakistan's DG ISPR claims that LeT terrorist Hafiz Abdur Rauf is an 'Innocent Man'. DG ISPR's 'COMMON MAN" is a Globally Sanctioned Terrorist – clearly visible in the viral terrorist funeral picture," the PIB fact check team wrote. The post added that the identity shared by Pakistan's military matches that of Rauf, who has been part of LeT's senior leadership since at least 1999. 'The identity details shared by DG ISPR is identical to the details of Hafiz Abdur Rauf, a member of LeT's senior leadership since at least 1999 and part of the US Sanctions List," it stated. This comes after Rauf was seen in a viral video leading funeral prayers for LeT operatives killed during precision Indian strikes under Operation Sindoor on May 7. These strikes were carried out to avenge the killing of Indian tourists in Pahalgam by Pakistan-backed terrorists. The video, posted by New York Times columnist Taha Siddiqui, shows Rauf at the funeral alongside other LeT members. Right after the prayers, the crowd can be heard shouting 'Al Jihad, Al Jihad." Rauf has long been associated with Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD), the front organisation of LeT. Though not related by blood to LeT founder Hafiz Saeed, Rauf has worked closely with him for decades and is part of his core ideological and operational group. The Indian Army, in a press briefing on Sunday, named several Pakistani Army officials who attended the funeral alongside Rauf. Rauf has been designated under UNSC 1267 sanctions, and the US Treasury Department lists him as a key LeT operative. During public events and funerals of LeT operatives, he is often seen in ceremonial or spiritual roles, to present a 'clerical" appearance, though he deep links to the terror group's activities. First Published:
Miami Herald
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
How a US-Designated Global Terrorist Contested an Election in Pakistan
Hafiz Abdur Rauf, who is designated a global terrorist by the United States, contested elections in Pakistan last year, according to details reviewed by Newsweek. The fact that he was able to stand in the ballot adds more fuel to allegations from India that Pakistan is not serious enough about tackling terrorism at a time of high tension between the nuclear-armed neighbors, analysts said. Pakistan's ministry of foreign affairs did not immediately respond to Newsweek's request for comment. Newsweek was unable to find contact details for Rauf. His party, the Pakistan Markazi Muslim League, did not immediately respond to questions on his candidacy and allegations from critics that it is linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba, which is designated by the United States and India as a terrorist group. Rauf's identity came under the spotlight after India showed photos of him leading prayers at a funeral for victims of an Indian strike against what it alleged were terrorists in response for the massacre of tourists in Kashmir last month. Pakistan denied any involvement in that attack and accused India of killing Pakistani civilians. Newsweek obtained Rauf's Pakistani identity details from a security source in Pakistan. Those details were announced separately at a briefing by Pakistan's military, which said Rauf's role at the funeral ceremony had been innocent. Newsweek tied Rauf's CNIC identity number — 35202-5400413-9 — to his 2010 identification as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) for sanctions by the U.S. Treasury Department. It also tied the identity to his candidacy in the 2024 election in the NA-119 Lahore district on behalf of the Pakistan Markazi Muslim League (PMML). Critics of the PMML accuse it of links to Lashkar-e-Taiba – a Pakistani jihadi faction accused by India of involvement in attacks there. "Pakistan Markazi Muslim League is a political party who believes on Politics of Humanity and Ideology," according to its Facebook page. Rauf received little over 2,000 votes in the constituency he contested compared to nearly 84,000 for the winner, Maryam Nawaz Sharif, Punjab chief minister, daughter of former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and representative of current Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League. But critics of Pakistan said the fact that Rauf had been allowed to contest showed the failure of the state to take action against those accused of terrorism. "When a U.S.-designated terrorist operates openly, participates in high-profile events like funerals for LeT members, and receives no rebuke or prosecution from the host state, it significantly undermines the U.S. counter-terrorism sanctions architecture," Sajjan M. Gohel, international security director at the London School of Economics, told Newsweek. According to Ashok K. Behuria, Fellow and Coordinator of the South Asia Centre at MP-IDSA in India's capital, New Delhi: "While Pakistan officially denies links to terrorism, such public displays contradict those claims. It sends a defiant message to countries like India, the US, and others that Pakistan retains ties with these elements, despite international pressure." The U.S. Treasury's 2010 designation of Rauf under Executive Order 13224 identified him as a senior figure in Lashkar-e-Taiba and head of its so-called charitable wing, Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation (FIF). The order prohibits all U.S. persons and institutions from conducting financial or other transactions with him. Newsweek contacted the U.S. Department of the Treasury, and the U.S. State Department for comment. Indian diplomats showed photos of Rauf leading prayers for victims of an Indian attack on what it called a base of Lashkar-e-Taiba in Pakistan last week. The ceremony was also attended by high-ranking members of the Pakistani military. India pointed to the image as an example of what it said was complicity between Pakistan's defense establishment and alleged terrorists. Pakistan said the Indian attack had killed civilians. Pakistan's military spokesman dismissed the highlighting of the image as Indian propaganda, but did not dispute its authenticity. Pakistan and India agreed a US-brokered truce at the weekend after their most serious confrontation in decades prompted fears of an even bigger regional war. Related Articles Trump on India-Pakistan: We Stopped 'a Bad Nuclear War'Satellite Images Reveal Damage to Pakistan Air Base After Indian StrikeDonald Trump Scores Four Diplomatic VictoriesDonald Trump Offers To Resolve India and Pakistan's Kashmir Dispute 2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.
