JUI leader Mufti Abdul Baqi Noorzai shot dead in Quetta

Senior Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) leader Mufti Abdul Baqi Noorzai was shot and killed by unidentified attackers near Quetta airport, marking another high-profile assassination in Pakistan.

Noorzai sustained critical injuries in the attack and was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he succumbed to his wounds during treatment. Authorities have yet to identify the assailants or determine the motive behind the killing.

Wave of targeted killings continues

The killing of Noorzai is the latest in a series of targeted assassinations in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). Over the past three years, more than a dozen operatives from Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed, and Hizbul Mujahideen have been shot dead by unidentified gunmen.

Lashkar-e-Taiba commander killed 

The attack on Noorzai comes just a day after a top Lashkar-e-Taiba commander, Zia-ur-Rehman, also known as Nadeem alias Abu Qatal alias Qatal Sindhi, was gunned down in Jhelum, Punjab province. Rehman, a close associate of Lashkar founder Hafiz Saeed, was wanted for multiple terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir.

Authorities said Rehman had infiltrated the Jammu region in the early 2000s and returned to Pakistan in 2005. He maintained a strong network of operatives in the Poonch and Rajouri districts. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) had named him in a chargesheet under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) for his role in the 2023 attack on Hindu minorities in Dangri village, Rajouri.

On January 1, 2023, terrorists opened fire in Dangri, killing five people. The next day, an improvised explosive device (IED) left at the scene detonated, killing two more and injuring 14 others.

Rehman was also accused of masterminding the June 9, 2024, attack on a bus carrying pilgrims to the Shiv Khodi temple. Nine people were killed, and 41 others were injured in the assault.

Following the assassination of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist Abu Qatal in Pakistan, foreign affairs experts have suggested that Hafiz Saeed, the mastermind behind the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, might face a "similar fate" soon.

Speaking with ANI, Robinder Sachdeva said that Abu Qatal's killing indicates that those tracking LeT founder Hafiz Saeed and other terrorists are closing in.

Meanwhile, the ISI has beefed up security for the LeT chief Hafiz Saeed and his son Talha following the recent murders, sources say. Pakistan has shifted their top PoK terrorists to safe houses after the fear of unknown gunmen grips them.

(Wtith inputs from ANI)