Imtiaz Alam alias Bashir Ahmed Peer, one of India’s most wanted terrorists, has been killed in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Imtiaz was a founding member of the outlawed terror organisation Hizbul Mujahideen, serving as its third commander. On Monday (February 20, 2023), he was killed in front of a shop by two unidentified assailants.
So, has the battlefield shifted? Hizbul Mujahideen launching commander Bashir Ahmad Peer @ Imtiaz Aalam of Kupwara has been shot dead in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. IS top man Aijaz Ahmad Ahangar of Nawakadal Srinagar reportedly shot dead by Taliban in Kunar Province of Afghanistan.. pic.twitter.com/6S8ndvWJ2H
— Ahmed Ali Fayyaz (@ahmedalifayyaz) February 21, 2023
According to reports, Imtiaz, a resident of Babarpora in the Kupwara district of Jammu and Kashmir, was standing in front of a shop in the evening when assailants fired at him from point-blank range and fled. Imtiaz was rushed to the hospital in critical condition where he was proclaimed dead.
The Indian government led by PM Narendra Modi had designated Bashir Ahmed Peer as a ‘terrorist’ under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) on October 4 last year. The Indian security forces were looking for him in relation to many terrorist attacks.
Imitiaz was involved in providing logistics to the banned outfit’s terrorists, especially for infiltration into the Kupwara district in Jammu and Kashmir.
According to the central government notification, Peer was also involved with online propaganda groups with the aim of uniting former terrorists and other cadres of jihadi terror groups in order to promote the activities of the Hizbul Mujahideen, Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), and other Pakistan-backed terrorist groups.
Imtiaz used to instigate the youth in the name of implementing Sharia law in Jammu and Kashmir. He was also playing a key role in mobilizing youth and providing them with arms and ammunition.
Bashir Mir was coordinating the terror camps and launch pads from PoK as well.
According to News18, Imtiaz Alam was killed as a result of inter-gang rivalry among Pakistan-based terror groups as they jostle to corner terror funding that is drying up owing to Pakistan’s dismal financial circumstances.
Imtiaz was apprehended by the Pakistan Army’s Intelligence Wing in 2007. He was later released, however, on the orders of Pakistan’s intelligence agency ISI.
