New Delhi: Mumbai attacks mastermind Hafiz Saeed's brother-in-law and banned Jamaat-ud-Dawa deputy chief Hafiz Abdul Rahman Makki died of a heart attack in Lahore on Friday. According to the Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD), Prof Abdul Rahman Makki had been ill for the past few days and was undergoing treatment following high diabetes at a private hospital in Lahore. "Makki suffered a cardiac arrest early this morning and he breathed his last in the hospital," a JuD official told PTI.
Who was Abdul Rahman Makki?
Abdul Rehman Makki is the head of LASHKAR-E-TAYYIBA (LET) political affairs. He served as head of LET's foreign relations department and a member of Shura (governing body). He is also a member of JUD’s Markazi (Central) Team and Daawati (proselytization) team. He is the brother-in-law of LET Chief Hafiz Muhammad Saeed (QDi.263). Abdul Rehman Makki is wanted by the Indian Government.
Makki and other LET/JUD operatives have been involved in raising funds, recruiting and radicalizing youth to violence and planning attacks in India, particularly in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K).
List of Makki's involvement in prominent terror attacks on India:
- Red Fort Attack: Six LET terrorists had stormed Red Fort on 22 December 2000 and had opened indiscriminate fire on the security forces guarding the Fort.
- Rampur Attack: Five LET terrorists had attacked a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) camp in Rampur on 01 January 2008 in which seven CRPF personnel and a rickshaw puller were killed.
- 26/11 Mumbai attack (26-28 November 2008): Most audacious attack by LET in India. 10 LET terrorists from Pakistan entered via Arabian Sea in Mumbai with pre-decided targets out of which Amir Ajmal Kasab was caught alive, rest were killed.
- Karan Nagar, Srinagar attack (12-13 February 2018): LET Fidayeen (suicide squad) stormed into CRPF (23 Battalion) camp at Karan Nagar area of Srinagar in which one CRPF trooper was killed one Policeman was injured.
- Khanpora, Baramulla attack (30 May 2018): Three civilians were shot dead by LET militants.
- Srinagar attack (14 June 2018): Senior journalist & Editor in Chief of Rising Kashmir, Shujaat Bukhari, and his two Personal Security Officers (PSOs) were shot by LET terrorists.
Gurez/ Bandipora attack (7 August 2018): Four Army soldiers including a Major were killed as Army foiled a major infiltration bid by heavily armed LET militants along the Line of Control (LoC) in Gurez Sector of Bandipora District, Jammu and Kashmir.
Makki was arrested on May 15, 2019, by the Pakistan Government and was under house arrest in Lahore. In 2020, a Pakistani court convicted Makki of terrorism financing and sentenced him to prison. However, just a few months later, Makki was acquitted, and his sentence was overturned by the Lahore High Court citing a "lack of evidence."
Why was Makki blacklisted by the UN?
In 2023, Makki was designated as a global terrorist by the United Nations, subjecting him to an assets freeze, travel ban and arms embargo.
Makki was listed on 16 January 2023 pursuant to paragraphs 2 and 4 of resolution 2368 (2017) as being associated with ISIL or Al-Qaida for “participating in the financing, planning, facilitating, preparing, or perpetrating of acts or activities by, in conjunction with, under the name of, on behalf of, or in support of”, “recruiting for”, “otherwise supporting acts or activities of”, and “either owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by, or otherwise supporting” Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (QDe.118).
