Malik Muhammad Ishaq, the chief of Sunni terrorist group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ), and his two sons were killed in a police shootout in Punjab province of Pakistan on Wednesday.
Advertisement
As the police convoy returned in the early hours of yesterday, a group of men on motorcycles ambushed them, freeing Ishaq and his two sons, the police said.
“In a direct exchange of heavy fire, Malik Ishaq, his two sons and colleague Ghulam Rasool were killed along with 11 others”, he said. “Malik Ishaq was behind many acts of terrorism and he was freed by courts in the past due to lack of evidence”, Khanzada told The Associated Press. He, along with his two sons Usman and Haq Nawaz were among those killed in the suspected encounter.
No one claimed responsibility for the attack but Pakistani police have been accused of extrajudicial slayings in the past. The security troops reciprocated and killed as many as 14 terrorists, including the LeJ chief after he was able to flee. The attacker was stopped by 15 year old student Aitzaz Hasan who lost his life and was later lionised in the media and society at large for his sacrifice.
Six police officers were wounded, another senior police official who took part in the encounter said on condition of anonymity.
Ishaq, his sons and three aides, were arrested last Saturday on suspicion of involvement in sectarian killings.
Ishaq gained notoriety for his anti-Shiite rhetoric and has been accused of masterminding dozens of attacks against the minority group.
The Al Qaida-linked militant group was outlawed in Pakistan in 2001 and designated a terrorist organisation by the US State Department in 2003.
He was imprisoned in 1997 after being arrested on charges of murder, death threats and intimidation, but was freed in July 2011.
Malik Ishaq, who coordinated the operations of the Taliban-and Al Qaeda-connected Lashkar-e-Jhangvi gathering, was so dreaded in Pakistan that terrified judges concealed their appearances from him and even offered the unrepentant executioner tea and treats in court.
Advertisement
They had also explained to investigators the reason of choosing the venue of Minar-e-Pakistan for laying the foundation of the LeJ.
