Lahore (Pakistan): Pakistan’s intelligence agency ISI faced yet another embarrassment today as one more top Indian terrorist fugitive — Khalistan Commando Force (KCF) chief Paramjit Singh Panjwar — was killed in this city, where he was provided a safe haven by the establishment.
In the last 3 months, it is the 3rd killing in Pakistan of an Indian terrorist provided refuge and protection by the establishment here.
The trend of such killings sends out a message to the Pakistan establishment that the Indian terrorists who have been given shelter in this country are no longer safe.
Panjwar alias Malik Sardar Singh was gunned down by two motorcycle-borne assailants in Johar area, close to his residence, while he was on the morning walk.
Two of his bodyguards, provided by the Pakistan government, were also shot by the unidentified gunmen.
Panjwar was heading the KCF, a banned organisation in India, since 1990 and continued to do so even after fleeing to Pakistan and enjoying the patronage of the ISI.
He was one of the longest-surviving Khalistani terrorist and ranked among the most wanted terrorists in India.
He was wanted in India in several heinous crimes, including the assassination of former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh in 1995.
Panjwar, with the help of ISI, was also involved in the cross-border trafficking of drugs and arms through the use of drones.
His killing is a major setback to the Khalistani activities which are being pushed by the Pakistani establishment.
The Pakistani establishment suffered 3 setbacks earlier.
On February 27, a Kashmiri terrorist who headed Al Badr terror outfit earlier was shot dead in a similar manner by some unidentified persons in his safe haven in Karachi.
Syed Khalid Raza was shot point blank in his head at the doorstep of his residence located at Block 7 in Gulistan-e-Johar area of Karachi.
An embarrassed police, which could not protect the ‘asset’ in the safe haven, tried to play down the murder by saying it was related to robbery and not a targeted killing.
However, local reports suggested that Rs 70,000 was found in Raza’s pocket, which the assailants did not bother to take. A watch that Raza was wearing was also not taken by the killers.
Raza was commander of Al Badr outfit active in Jammu and Kashmir. It was floated by the ISI in early 1990s, and was based in Pakistan.
Subsequently, ISI rehabilitated Raza and he was made a Director of a school.
Lately, he had become Vice Chairman of the Federation of Private Schools of Karachi.
Prior to that, on February 21, top Commander of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen Bashir Ahmad Peer alias Imtiyaz Alam, who was also based in Pakistan, was shot dead by unidentified persons in Rawalpindi, the base of Pakistan’s Army.
