High-ranking Pak terrorist shot once again: Here's a list of India's 'most-wanted' targets hit by 'unkown gunmen'

In recent years, a noticeable pattern has emerged in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Several high-profile terrorists designated as “most-wanted” by India have been eliminated, often in attacks by unidentified gunmen or under mysterious circumstances.

Local reports have consistently described the perpetrators as “unidentified gunmen,” leaving questions about the exact forces behind these incidents.

Founding LeT member shot in Lahore

Just this week, Amir Hamza, a founding member of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and one of its top ideologues alongside Hafiz Saeed, was shot by motorcycle-borne unidentified gunmen in Lahore. The veteran of the Soviet-Afghan war, who has been linked to multiple attacks including the 2005 Indian Institute of Science Bengaluru shooting that killed a professor, is currently being treated in hospital.

JeM chief’s brother dies mysteriously

Last month, Muhammad Tahir Anwar, elder brother of Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Maulana Masood Azhar and a senior operational figure in the outfit, died in Pakistan under mysterious circumstances. He had long been involved in training and logistics for JeM.

Senior LeT handler killed in Sindh

In March last year, Abu Qatal (also known as Qatal Sindhi), a senior Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist and close aide of Hafiz Saeed, was killed by unidentified gunmen in Jhelum, Sindh. He was allegedly the key handler behind several attacks in Jammu and Kashmir, including the 2024 Reasi bus attack that killed nine Hindu pilgrims.

Khalistan Commando Force chief gunned down during morning walk

The year 2023 witnessed a particularly high number of such incidents. In May 2023, Paramjit Singh Panjwar, chief of the Khalistan Commando Force (KCF) and long wanted in India for arms smuggling, drug trafficking and extremist activities linked to the Khalistan movement, was shot dead by two motorcycle-borne assailants while on his routine morning walk in Lahore’s Johar Town.

Close aide of Hafiz Saeed shot in Karachi

In October 2023, Mufti Qaiser Farooq, a close associate of Hafiz Saeed and a prominent LeT figure, was shot near a religious institution in Karachi’s Samanabad area and later died in hospital.

Alleged Pathankot attack mastermind shot in Sialkot

The same month, Shahid Latif, the alleged mastermind of the 2016 Pathankot airbase attack (in which six Indian security personnel were killed), was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in Sialkot.

Senior LeT commander found beheaded near LoC

In November 2023, Khwaja Shahid (Mia Mujahid), a high-ranking Lashkar-e-Taiba commander and one of the masterminds of the 2018 Sunjuwan Army camp attack in Jammu (which killed seven soldiers), was kidnapped from his home in Neelum Valley and later found beheaded near the Line of Control in PoK, with signs of severe torture on his body.

LeT recruitment chief shot dead in Bajaur

Also in November 2023, Akram Khan Ghazi, a senior LeT commander known for recruiting and radicalising youth for infiltration into Jammu and Kashmir, was shot dead by unidentified attackers on motorcycles in Bajaur district.

IC-814 hijacker shot at point-blank range

In March 2022, Mistry Zahoor Ibrahim, one of the five hijackers of the 1999 IC-814 Indian Airlines flight from Kathmandu to Delhi and a Jaish-e-Mohammed operative living under a false identity in Karachi, was shot twice in the head at point-blank range by unidentified gunmen.

Pakistani authorities have not provided detailed public explanations for most of these cases. Local media reports have largely stuck to describing the attackers as “unidentified gunmen” or noting the deaths occurred under “mysterious circumstances.”

These repeated incidents have significantly reduced the ranks of several India-designated most-wanted terrorists operating from Pakistani soil. While the exact forces behind the attacks remain unclear, the pattern has drawn attention both inside and outside Pakistan.