Peshawar/ New Delhi: Qari Eijaz Abid, a close associate and relative of Maulana Masood Azhar, the founder of the banned terrorist organisation Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), was shot dead by "unknown men" in Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, on 30 March, local police authorities have confirmed.

Reports indicate that Abid was killed in the Pishtakhara area of Peshawar, while his associate, Qari Shahid, was critically injured in the targeted attack carried out by gunmen.

Pakistani media reported that Abid was affiliated with Ahle-e-Sunnah Wal Jamaat (ASWJ) and served as the provincial head of the International Khatm-e-Nabuwat. Local police confirmed the killing and stated that a wave of targeted killings had been spreading across the country, especially targeting religious figures linked to the Deobandi school of thought.

However, intelligence sources have noted that the victims of these attacks were all linked to major terror organisations such as Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Hizbul Mujahideen, and JeM.

Abid was believed to be a major recruiter for JeM through his role in Ahle-e-Sunnah Wal Jamaat.

Despite Pakistan's ongoing denial about the presence of terrorists operating from its soil, the deaths of these individuals—many of whom were involved in attacks in India—have exposed Islamabad's falsehoods.

Over recent months, several top terrorists from LeT and JeM have been shot dead in Pakistan by "unknown armed men" riding motorcycles.

Since its establishment in 2000 by Maulana Masood Azhar, JeM has been responsible for numerous terrorist attacks in India, including in Jammu and Kashmir.

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has designated JeM as a 'Designated Foreign Terrorist Organisation', and Azhar was designated a 'global terrorist' in 2019.