New Delhi/Islamabad: Mufti Shah Mir, the man behind the abduction of Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav from Iran in 2016, was shot dead in Pakistan’s Balochistan province on Friday night, the Dawn newspaper has reported. The incident occurred at Turbat in Kech when Mir was leaving a mosque after night prayers, the Pakistani media reported.
According to Dawn, armed men on motorcycles opened fire on Mir, injuring him seriously. He was rushed to a hospital in Turbat where he was declared dead.
Sources have revealed that Mir, close to the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-F (JUI-F), was involved in human trafficking and arms smuggling. There has been two previous attempts on his life. Though associated with the ISI’s death squads, Mir operated under the cover of a Mufti or religious scholar. He is said to have helped in the abduction and killings of several Baloch youths by the ISI.
Jadhav (51), is a former Indian Navy officer. After retirement, he ran a business in Chabahar, Iran. In 2016, he was abducted near the Iran-Pakistan border by members of the Jaish al-Adl, led by one Mullah Omar Irani. Jadhav was then handed over to the ISI through Mir.
Despite objections raised by India, Jadhav was held guilty of espionage and terrorism and sentenced to death by a military court in Pakistan in 2017. After all other efforts failed, India moved the International Court of Justice (ICJ) at the Hague, seeking consular access to Jadhav.
In 2019, the ICJ ordered Pakistan to grant consular access to Jadhav. The court also asked Pakistan to review the process of trial and conviction in Jadhav’s case. The former naval officer continues to remain in prison.
