Sun Mar 09 03:39:38 UTC 2025: ## Pakistani Scholar Accused in Jadhav Kidnapping Shot Dead in Balochistan
**Turbat, Balochistan –** Mufti Shah Mir, a prominent religious scholar in Pakistan’s restive Balochistan province and alleged accomplice in the kidnapping of former Indian Navy officer Kulbhushan Jadhav, was assassinated Friday night. Gunmen on motorcycles ambushed Mir outside a mosque in Turbat, shooting him multiple times at close range. He died later at a hospital. This was the third attempt on his life.
Mir, a member of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) party, was reportedly involved in arms and human trafficking and had close ties to Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency. He allegedly facilitated the abduction of Jadhav from Iran in 2016, playing a key role in handing him over to Pakistani authorities. Reports also suggest Mir frequently visited terrorist camps and aided in infiltrating terrorists into India.
The killing comes a week after two other JUI members were murdered in Khuzdar, Balochistan. The province continues to experience significant violence, including targeted killings and disappearances of activists, journalists, and politicians, allegedly at the hands of state forces. Earlier this year, clashes in the region resulted in the deaths of numerous security personnel and militants.
Jadhav, who was convicted of espionage by a Pakistani military court in 2017 and sentenced to death, remains imprisoned in Pakistan. His conviction has been condemned by India, which maintains that he was abducted and denied a fair trial. While the International Court of Justice intervened to halt his execution and mandate consular access, India has expressed skepticism over subsequent Pakistani attempts to offer Jadhav a right of appeal, deeming the legal changes insufficient to guarantee a fair process.
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