Pakistan's Hina Rabbani Calls Terrorist A "Common Man". Gets Fact Checked
Pakistan's former Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar faced an awkward and embarrassing moment on live television when she was fact-checked on camera for trying to portray a globally sanctioned terrorist as a "common man". During an interview with Al Jazeera, Ms Khar tried to further Pakistan's claim that Hafiz Abdur Rauf, who led the funeral of terrorists killed in India's May 7 "Operation Sindoor," was just a common Pakistani man and not the infamous US-proscribed global terrorist.
"I am telling you, with authority, with evidence which has been shared with the whole world, that this is not the man that you (India) are claiming it to be. That this is not the man that you are claiming it to be. There are a million Abdul Raufs in Pakistan," the Pakistani politician said, showing the widely circulated image of Rauf at the funeral procession.
The interviewer interjected, noting that the Pakistan army, in a press conference after Operation Sindoor, did not say the image was fake.
"They said that he's a member of a political party, and they released his national ID number. That ID number is the same one as on the US sanctions list. So, according to the US sanctions terrorist list, this man is a terrorist," the journalist said.
"The Pakistani army is defending him."
Ms Khar tried to save face, saying, "The Pakistani army is defending this man. The Pakistani army is not defending the person who is proscribed by the US."
The interviewer reminded her that the national ID numbers of the US-proscribed terrorists and the man in the photo are the same.
The Pakistani politician replied, "The ISPR (Inter-Services Public Relations of Pakistan Army) categorically has said that this is not the same person, and you just sat over here and told me that they just defended him and did not say it is not the same person."
Pakistan's False Claim On Abdur Rauf
As soon as the pictures of Rauf being present at the funerals went out, the Pakistani army tried to save face and called him a "common man." In the process, Pakistan's Director General of ISPR, Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, claimed the person who had led the prayers of terrorists killed at the Lashkar-e-Taiba headquarters in Mudrike, Pakistan's Punjab, during Operation Sindoor was a preacher and a member of the Pakistan Markazi Muslim League (PMML) party with "three daughters, son."
He also outed crucial details of Rauf, including his national identity number, which matched details in the database of the US sanction list of terrorists.
During a press conference, Chaudhry mentioned that the man's Computerised National Identity Card number was 35202-5400413-9, while his date of birth was March 25, 1973, and that he was a resident of Lahore.
The identity details shared by DG ISPR completely matched the details of Hafiz Abdur Rauf, a member of LeT's senior leadership since at least 1999 and chief of Falah-i-Insaniat Foundation, who is on the United States' "Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons list."
Per the US database, the number of addresses against Rauf, including 4 Lake Road; two Room No. 7 Choburji Dola Khurd; 129 Jinnah Block; 5-Chamberlain Road -- all in Pakistan's Lahore -- besides Awan Town, Multan Road, 33, Street No. 3, District Khanewal.
The OFAC database also gives his National ID No: NIC 277-93-113495, Pakistani passport CM1074131 that Pakistan issued on October 29, 2008, which expired in 2013 and another passport booklet: A7523531 also issued by Pakistan.
Rauf has been a close associate of Hafiz Saeed, often seen in his proximity.
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