Pakistan’s former foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar faced an uncomfortable moment during a recent Al Jazeera interview as she attempted to defend a man, seen leading funeral prayers for terrorists killed in India's counterterror Operation Sindoor.
The individual, widely identified as senior Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) leader Hafiz Abdul Rauf , a UN-designated terrorist, was seen leading funeral prayers for terrorists killed in the Operation Sindoor strikes, where the bodies were accorded full state honours in Pakistan, with uniformed police and army personnel in attendance.
Khar claimed the man in question was not the LeT figure India accuses him of being. "I am telling you with authority, with evidence which has been shared with the whole world, that this is not the man that you (India) are claiming it to be. There are a million Abdul Raufs in Pakistan," she said, dismissing India's assertion.
However, her defence began to falter when the interviewer pointed out that the man's national ID number matches one listed on the US Treasury Department's sanctions database.
The journalist mentioned that the national identity number belonging to Hafiz Abdul Rauf -- 35202-5400413-9 -- was identical to the one listed by the US Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and the US Treasury’s list of Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGT).
"They said that he is a member of a political party, and they released his national ID number. That ID number is the same one as on the US sanctions list. So, according to the US sanctions terrorist list, this man is a terrorist," the journalist said.
Pressed further, Khar responded, "The Pakistani army is defending this man. The Pakistani army is not defending the person who is proscribed by the US."
She continued, "The ISPR (Inter-Services Public Relations of Pakistan Army) categorically has said that this is not the same person, and you just sat over here and told me that they just defended him and did not say it is not the same person."
The man at the centre of the controversy, Hafiz Abdul Rauf, is known to be a close associate of 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed and holds senior status in the LeT. The presence of his identity number in the official document shown by Pakistan’s military spokesperson, DG ISPR Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif, matched that of the terrorist sanctioned by the United States.
Under Operation Sindoor, India carried out precision strikes on nine terrorist hubs in Pakistan and PoK, including a major Lashkar-e-Taiba base in Muridke, which was reduced to rubble.
In an unexpected revelation, the same US list also names Lt Gen Sharif’s father, Mahmood Sultan Bashiruddin, as a designated terrorist with links to al-Qaida -- further raising questions about the Pakistani military’s role in shielding extremists.
The individual, widely identified as senior Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) leader Hafiz Abdul Rauf , a UN-designated terrorist, was seen leading funeral prayers for terrorists killed in the Operation Sindoor strikes, where the bodies were accorded full state honours in Pakistan, with uniformed police and army personnel in attendance.
Khar claimed the man in question was not the LeT figure India accuses him of being. "I am telling you with authority, with evidence which has been shared with the whole world, that this is not the man that you (India) are claiming it to be. There are a million Abdul Raufs in Pakistan," she said, dismissing India's assertion.
“That this is not the man that you are claiming it to be. There are a million Abdul Raufs in Pakistan.”
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) July 8, 2025
– Hina Rabbani Khar on India’s allegations that Pakistani officials have links to armed groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba.
Full interview ➡️ https://t.co/RR56ljzuvg pic.twitter.com/yFR5CLiCNM
However, her defence began to falter when the interviewer pointed out that the man's national ID number matches one listed on the US Treasury Department's sanctions database.
The journalist mentioned that the national identity number belonging to Hafiz Abdul Rauf -- 35202-5400413-9 -- was identical to the one listed by the US Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and the US Treasury’s list of Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGT).
"They said that he is a member of a political party, and they released his national ID number. That ID number is the same one as on the US sanctions list. So, according to the US sanctions terrorist list, this man is a terrorist," the journalist said.
Pressed further, Khar responded, "The Pakistani army is defending this man. The Pakistani army is not defending the person who is proscribed by the US."
She continued, "The ISPR (Inter-Services Public Relations of Pakistan Army) categorically has said that this is not the same person, and you just sat over here and told me that they just defended him and did not say it is not the same person."
The man at the centre of the controversy, Hafiz Abdul Rauf, is known to be a close associate of 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed and holds senior status in the LeT. The presence of his identity number in the official document shown by Pakistan’s military spokesperson, DG ISPR Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif, matched that of the terrorist sanctioned by the United States.
Under Operation Sindoor, India carried out precision strikes on nine terrorist hubs in Pakistan and PoK, including a major Lashkar-e-Taiba base in Muridke, which was reduced to rubble.
In an unexpected revelation, the same US list also names Lt Gen Sharif’s father, Mahmood Sultan Bashiruddin, as a designated terrorist with links to al-Qaida -- further raising questions about the Pakistani military’s role in shielding extremists.
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