Sun Mar 16 11:34:21 UTC 2025: ## Top Lashkar-e-Taiba Commander Killed in Pakistan

**New Delhi, March 16, 2025** – A top Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) commander, Zia-ur-Rehman, wanted by Indian security agencies for numerous deadly terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir, was killed in Pakistan, officials announced Sunday. Rehman, also known as Nadeem, Abu Qatal, and Qatal Sindhi, was gunned down in the Jhelum area of Punjab on Saturday. His security guard was also killed in the attack.

Indian officials, citing information from Pakistan, identified Rehman as a key figure in the LeT, considered the most trusted handler of Hafiz Saeed, the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack mastermind. The 43-year-old commander was allegedly responsible for planning several attacks in the Poonch-Rajouri region of Jammu and Kashmir. He reportedly infiltrated the Jammu region in the early 2000s and exfiltrated in 2005, maintaining a wide network of Over Ground Workers.

Rehman’s involvement was confirmed through National Investigation Agency (NIA) investigations into various terror incidents. He was charged under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for his role in the January 1, 2023, Dhangri village attack, which left seven dead and 14 injured. He is also implicated in the June 9, 2024, Reasi bus attack (nine pilgrims killed, 41 injured), the April 20, 2023, Bhatta-Durian attack (five army personnel killed), and the May 5, 2023, Kandi attack (five special forces personnel killed).

Rehman, born in Pakistan’s Sindh province, oversaw LeT’s operations in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and served as a crucial link between the LeT cadres and its operators in PoK and Sindh. His death follows the elimination of several other terrorist commanders in Pakistan and PoK over the past three years.

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