Pakistan’s radical Islamist, Maulana Qari Eijaz Abid a close relative of globally designated terrorist Maulana Masood Azhar and a key recruiter for Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) was gunned down by unidentified assailants in broad daylight in the Pishtakhara locality of Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. His associate, Qari Shahid, has been critically injured.
Qari Eijaz Abid, a high-ranking affiliate of the Ahle-e-Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ) and Provincial Head of the International Khatm-e-Nabuwat Movement, was ambushed outside a mosque in a style now typical of targeted assassinations sweeping Pakistan. The attackers remain unidentified and at large.
More than just another cleric, Abid played a significant operational role in Masood Azhar’s notorious terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM). According to intelligence reports, Abid was instrumental in radicalizing and recruiting young Pakistanis into JeM through religious platforms and ideological grooming, under the pretext of religious education.
🚨 BIG BREAKING NEWS
Most Wanted terrorist Masood Azhar's relative, Qari Eijaz Abid, SHOT DEAD by 'Unknown gunmen' in Pakistan 🔥
— Earlier, Hafiz Saeed's nephew, now Masood Azhar's relative 🎯
— Unknown gunmen are ELIMINATING terrorists from the world 👌 pic.twitter.com/cElyiyoDvY
— Megh Updates 🚨™ (@MeghUpdates) April 8, 2025
The strategy was clear: Masood Azhar’s network, to avoid direct scrutiny, preferred to outsource initial radicalisation to groups like ASWJ and Khatm-e-Nabuwat, allowing them to scan and sieve potential recruits. Abid was central to this tactic — luring, brainwashing, and filtering youth before passing them onto JeM for weapons and explosives training.
Abid wasn’t just related to Masood Azhar by blood the two also shared academic roots and ideological camaraderie through the Deobandi school of thought. This makes the murder more than just a one-off killing it is part of a sinister trend currently gripping Pakistan.
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