Maulana Abdul Aziz Esar, a senior commander of the Pakistan-based terrorist group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) who recently threatened India with balkanisation, was found dead under mysterious circumstances in Pakistan’s Bahawalpur on Monday, according to reports.
A prominent figure within the outfit and a vocal advocate of the extremist “Ghazwa-e-Hind” ideology, Abdul Aziz Esar’s sudden death has raised questions across both Pakistani and Indian intelligence circles.
The terrorist’s funeral was held at the JeM headquarters’ central markaz in Bahawalpur, a location of strategic importance for the group.
Notably, the markaz had previously been heavily targeted during India’s Operation Sindoor, a mission aimed at crippling cross-border terror infrastructure.
The same facility is believed to have served as a planning hub for more than a dozen terror attacks on Indian soil, including the 2019 Pulwama suicide bombing that claimed the lives of 40 CRPF personnel.
While JeM supporters on Telegram have claimed that Abdul Esar died of a sudden heart attack, there has been no official confirmation or statement from Pakistani authorities regarding the exact cause of death.
Notorious Terrorist
Hailing from Ashrafwala in Pakistan’s Punjab province, Abdul was notorious for his incendiary speeches against India and the Hindu population.
He regularly called for the fragmentation of India and frequently issued open threats of violent jihad. Just last month, at a public gathering, he vowed to seize Jammu and Kashmir by force.
Following India’s counter-terror operation, Abdul appeared in a video warning of fresh infiltrations. In another fiery speech, he likened India to the Soviet Union and urged his followers to keep the mission of “Ghazwa-e-Hind” alive.
His sudden and mysterious death marks a significant development within JeM’s ranks and could lead to internal turmoil within the terror outfit, while Indian security agencies are closely monitoring the developments, wary of potential retaliatory actions or leadership shifts in the group’s hierarchy, as per reports.
(With inputs from IBNS)
