The façade of control within Pakistan’s terror ecosystem appears to be crumbling, as yet another high-profile militant has been eliminated under murky circumstances. Maulana Salman Azhar, a senior commander of the banned outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed, has died in what is being widely viewed as a suspicious incident.
Islamabad/Bahawalpur: Pakistan’s long-tolerated militant infrastructure is facing a wave of unexplained and violent setbacks. In the latest episode, Salman Azhar — a key operative of the proscribed Jaish-e-Mohammed — was reportedly struck by an unidentified vehicle in Bahawalpur, resulting in his death. Whether this was an accident or a calculated elimination remains unclear, but the pattern of such incidents is becoming increasingly difficult to dismiss as coincidence.
Deep Links to Masood Azhar
Salman Azhar was no minor figure. He operated as a trusted lieutenant of Masood Azhar, a globally designated terrorist, and played a critical role in sustaining the operational machinery of Jaish-e-Mohammed. His burial is expected to take place at Markaz Subhan Allah in Bahawalpur — a location long associated with the group’s activities.
Back-to-Back Eliminations Expose Cracks
This marks the second significant blow to Pakistan-based militant outfits within days. On 27 April, Sheikh Yusuf Afridi, a senior commander of Lashkar-e-Taiba, was gunned down in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in what has been described as a targeted killing. Afridi, who headed the outfit’s regional operations, was shot multiple times by unidentified assailants, who then vanished into the mountainous terrain.
With successive eliminations rattling these groups, Pakistan’s security establishment appears increasingly cornered. The recurring pattern of “unknown attackers” and “unidentified vehicles” raises serious questions about the state’s grip over the very networks it has long been accused of harbouring.
