Subhechcha Ganguly 
In a surprising self-own, Pakistan has inadvertently confirmed the presence and identity of US-designated terrorist Hafiz Abdur Rauf on its soil, while attempting to downplay his role in the funeral of militants killed during India’s Operation Sindoor.
At a press conference on Sunday, Pakistan’s Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Major General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, described Rauf as a “common man” who led funeral prayers at the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) headquarters in Mudrike, Punjab. In an apparent effort to humanize him, Chaudhry shared personal details, saying, “This man is Hafiz Abdur Rauf. He has three daughters, a son, and he was born in March 1973.”
However, this move backfired when Indian authorities swiftly matched these details with US and global terror databases, confirming that Rauf is a senior LeT operative and head of the banned Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation (FIF). He is also known to be a close associate of 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks mastermind Hafiz Saeed.
In a statement, India’s Press Information Bureau noted, “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.”
Rauf has been listed under various aliases and linked to multiple addresses across Lahore. He previously held Pakistani passports CM1074131 and A7523531, both now expired. His profile is publicly available in the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list.
Notably, the funeral where Rauf led prayers was not a low-profile event. It was attended by senior Pakistani military and police officials and even featured a wreath from Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, niece of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
India has once again flagged this as further proof of the close nexus between the Pakistani state and globally sanctioned terrorist groups, raising serious questions about Islamabad’s commitments to combating terrorism.
