Mufti Shah Mir, Who Helped ISI In Kulbhushan Jadhav’s Abduction From Iran, Shot Dead By Unknown Gunmen In Balochistan

A Pakistani religious "scholar", who was accused of helping Pakistan's spy agency ISI in the abduction of former Indian Navy officer Kulbhushan Jadhav from Iran, was shot dead by unknown gunmen in Balochistan on Friday night.

Mufti Shah Mir was a leading "religious scholar" of Balochistan and had survived two earlier attempts on his life, according to Pakistani newspaper Dawn.

He was targeted by gunmen riding motorcycles while leaving a local mosque in Turbat after his night prayers.

Mir was shot multiple times at point-blank range and died at the hospital on Friday.

Mir was a member of the radical Islamist group Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) and engaged in arms and human trafficking under the cover of a scholar, according to The Times of India.

He was also close to the Pakistani spy agency ISI.

According to reports, he often visited terror camps in Pakistan and helped terrorists infiltrate into the Indian territory.

Last week, two other members of Mir’s party were killed in a similar attack in Khuzdar.

Kulbhushan Jadhav, a retired Indian Navy officer who was running a business in Chabahar, Iran, was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court in 2017 on espionage charges.

India strongly criticised the ruling, alleging that Pakistan had denied Jadhav a fair trial.

His execution was halted in 2019 with the International Court of Justice asking Pakistan to review his conviction and grant him consular access.

He was kidnapped from near the Iran-Pakistan border in 2016 and handed over to the Pakistani army. He is currently in the Pakistani prison.

Mullah Omar Irani, a member of Jaish al-Adl who played a key role in kidnapping Jadhav, was allegedly shot dead by ISI operatives in Turbat in 2020.

In 2021, Pakistan adopted a bill to allow Mr Jadhav appeal his conviction, but India said the law had the same "shortcomings" of a previous legislation and "failed" to create an atmosphere that will ensure a fair trial in this case.

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