Islamabad:Maulana Abdul Aziz Esar, a senior commander of the Pakistan-based militant group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), was found dead under mysterious circumstances in Bahawalpur, Punjab, on June 2, 2025. Known for his strong advocacy of the Ghazwa-e-Hind ideology, which promotes jihad against India, Esar’s sudden demise has raised suspicions about internal conflicts or external operations within the organization .
Esar’s death adds to a series of unexplained fatalities among top JeM leaders in recent years. For instance, in November 2023, Maulana Rahim Ullah Tariq, a close associate of JeM chief Maulana Masood Azhar, was shot dead by unidentified assailants in Karachi . Similarly, Shahid Latif, a key handler of the 2016 Pathankot attack, was killed in Sialkot in October 2023 .He is a terrorist who has consistently made anti-India speeches. He had also participated in the anti-India rally held last month. He was also active in recruiting terrorists against India. Essar had also spoken about breaking India into pieces like the Soviet Union.
This is the second such incident in Pakistan in two weeks. Earlier on May 17, Lashkar-e-Taiba’s Saifullah Khalid was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in Pakistan’s Sindh.
On May 7, India destroyed 9 terrorist camps in Pakistan in Operation Sindoor. The camps of the terrorist organizations Lashkar, Jaish and Hizbul Mujahideen were razed to the ground. More than 100 terrorists were killed. India also attacked the once-impregnable Bahawalpur, the heartland of Pakistan, in the Punjab province. Bahawalpur is the main base of Jaish-e-Mohammed.
The Pakistani authorities have not released official statements regarding Esar’s death, and the circumstances remain unclear. This incident underscores the ongoing volatility and internal power struggles within militant organizations operating in the region.
