String Of 'Mysterious Shootings' Of Terrorists In Canada And Pakistan: A List Of Individuals Gunned Down In Two Years

Shahid Latif, the mastermind behind the 2016 terror attack on the Indian Air Force Base in Pathankot, met his end at the hands of two unidentified gunmen in Sialkot, Pakistan, today (11 October).

This incident is the latest in a series of events, with the second terrorist's demise in just under a fortnight, all connected to terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), and Punjab.

These killings, mostly carried out by mysterious assailants primarliy on a motorbike, have raised suspicions, with Pakistani security agencies hinting at India's external intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) playing a role.

Here is a comprehensive list of terrorists who have met their fates in Pakistan, Canada and United Kingdom, all linked to acts of terrorism and violence in J&K, Punjab, and other Indian states.

(1) Shahid Latif (11 October 2023)

Latif, a terrorist affiliated to Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) was on the most-wanted list of Indian security agencies. He masterminded the 2016 Pathankot terror attacks, resulting in the deaths of seven security personnel.

He was killed today (on 11 October) by unidentified gunmen in Sialkot, Pakistan.

(2) Ziaur Rehman (29 September 2023)

Another member of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) who also served as a cleric at Karachi's Gulistan-e-Jauhar, was involved in radicalising youth to take up arms and conduct jihad against India. He was shot dead by two motorcycle-borne unknown assailants.

Following his death, Pakistan's intelligence agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), increased security measures and placed dozens of other terrorists under its payroll.

(3) Sukhdool Singh (21 September 2023)

Sukhdool Singh, also known as Sukha Duneke, a Khalistani terrorist, and a close associate of Arshdeep Singh, a notorious gangster and Khalistani terrorist based in Canada, was shot dead in Winnipeg, Canada.

This came just two days after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau blamed India for the death of another Khalistani terrorist, Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

Singh was reportedly killed in an inter-gang rivalry by the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, which claimed responsibility through a Facebook post.

(4) Abu Qasim Kashmiri (8 September 2023)

Riyaz Ahmad, also known as Abu Qasim, a resident of Jammu, was the main conspirator behind the Dhangri attack in Rajouri district (on 1 January) that killed seven and injured thirteen.

He was assassinated by unidentified gunmen inside a mosque in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK).

Abu Qasim, a member of Lashkar-e-Taiba, was considered the mastermind behind the revival of terrorism in Rajouri and Poonch districts of J&K.

(5) Sardar Hussain Arain (1 August 2023)

Another LeT terrorist and a close aide of Hafeez Saeed, who operated the madrassa network of Jamaat-ud-Dawah (JuD), was gunned down near his shop in Nawabshah, Karachi.

The Sidhudesh Revolutionary Army (SRA) claimed responsibility for his assassination. Hussain had contested elections on the ticket of Hafeez Saeed's political party, Allah o Akbar Tahreek, in 2018.

(6) Hardeep Singh Nijjar (19 June 2023)

Made famous by Canadian PM Justin Trudeau, Nijjar, the chief of the terror organization Khalistan Tiger Force and head of the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara Sahib, was shot dead within the Gurudwara's premises.

Born and raised in the village of Bhar Singh Pura in Jalandhar, Punjab, he was wanted by India's NIA and Punjab police due to his involvement in multiple terrorist activities

(7) Avtar Singh Khanda (16 June 2023)

Avtar Singh Khanda, a UK-based Khalistan terrorist, died in a Birmingham hospital in June this year.

He led an attempt to vandalise the Indian High Commission in London in March and had assisted Amritpal Singh, the leader of Waris Punjab De, while he was on the run from Punjab Police.

The head of Khalistan Commando Force chief, also known as Malik Sardar Singh was shot dead by unidentified gunmen while out on a morning walk near his home in Pakistan's Lahore.

India had designated Panjwar, aged 63, as a terrorist under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in July 2020, and was on the most-wanted list.

Panjwar was a key leader of the Khalistan Commando Force (KCF), a listed terrorist organisation, and had been operating from Lahore. He was born in 1960 in Tarn Taran's Panjwar village.

(9) Syed Noor Shalobar (4 March 2023)

Notorious for terror recruitment in the Kashmir valley and working closely with Pakistan Army and ISI to spread terrorism in J&K, Shalobar was killed in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region by unknown gunmen.

(10) Bashir Ahmad Peer (20 February)

Bashir Ahmad Peer, alias Imtiyaz Alam, a top commander of the banned terror outfit Hizbul Mujahideen, was shot dead by unidentified assailants in Pakistan's Rawalpindi.

Peer, who hailed from Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara district, had been living in Pakistan for more than 15 years.

He was the "launching chief" of the Hizbul in Pakistan and reportedly played a key role in recruiting and sending infiltrators and arms and ammunition into the Kashmir valley.

(11) Syed Khalid Raza (27 February 2023)

In February, unidentified gunmen shot dead former Al-Badr Mujahideen commander Syed Khalid Raza in the port city of Karachi in what police described as a targeted attack.

Raza, believed to have been close to Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin, was responsible for dispatching fresh recruits into Kashmir by identifying infiltration routes and providing the logistics.

Designating Raza as a terrorist in October 2022 under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, the Narendra Modi government described him as a "launching commander" of Hizbul Mujahideen, "especially for infiltrating into Kupwara and coordinating with other terrorist groups for activities in Jammu and Kashmir."

(12) Aijaz Ahmad Ahangar (14 February 2023)

Aijaz Ahmad Ahangar, a Kashmiri terrorist functioning as a top commander of the global terror group Islamic State, was found dead, reportedly killed by the Taliban, in Afghanistan's Kunar Province earlier this year.

(13) Harvinder Singh Sandhu (19 November 2022)

Harvinder Singh Sandhu, alias Harwinder Singh Rinda, a Khalistani terrorist accused of masterminding the rocket-propelled grenade attack on Punjab Police Intelligence headquarters in May 2021, passed away in a hospital in Lahore.

He was also linked to the assassination of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala. NIA had announced a cash reward of Rs 10 lakh for him.

Sandhu is reported to have died from kidney failure in a military hospital in Lahore.

(14) Ripudaman Singh Malik (14 July 2022)

In July 2022, 75-year-old Ripudaman Singh Malik was shot dead in Surrey, Canada. Malik was associated with the Babbar Khalsa, a Khalistani terrorist organization.

In 2005, Malik and his co-accused Ajaib Singh Bagri were acquitted of mass murder and conspiracy charges related to the bombing of Air India flight 182 in 1985, which resulted in the deaths of 329 people.

(15) Zahoor Mistry (1 March 2022)

Mistry, who was one of the five terrorists that hijacked Indian Airlines IC-814 plane and was associated with Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), was killed in Karachi.

Two armed motorcyclists, who waited for Mistry to enter his furniture warehouse, shot him dead at point-blank range.