When questions were raised about Hafiz Abdul Rauf who led the funeral prayers of terrorists killed in Operation Sindoor, Pakistan described him as a “simple family man”, but India called it false propaganda. In the pictures released by India, it can be seen that many top officers of the Pakistani army are standing behind Rauf and a coffin with the Pakistani flag hoisted on it, giving him the status of a martyr, is visible. India says that this clearly shows that Pakistan gives institutional support to terrorism.
India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri shared a photo during a press conference in Delhi in which Rauf is seen leading the funeral procession and Pak Army officers are present with him. This photo has gone viral and debate and outrage is also being expressed about it. Hafiz Abdul Rauf is the brother of Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar and has been declared a ‘Specially Designated Global Terrorist’ by the US Treasury Department. Rauf has been handling funding and propaganda for Lashkar-e-Taiba and has also been involved in terror funding through the ‘Falah-e-Insaniyat Foundation (FIF). This foundation has been collecting money for terrorism in the name of a charitable organization.
On behalf of Pakistan, DGISPR (Inter-Services Public Relations) tried to prove that Rauf is an ‘ordinary person’ by showing his Civil Identification Card (CNIC) and date of birth in the press conference, but the information given was the same as that mentioned in the US OFAC sanctions list – CNIC number: 35202-5400413-9 and date of birth: March 25, 1973.
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