FACT CHECK: Who is Hafiz Abdul Rauf, the man leading funeral of terrorists killed in Operation Sindoor?

The funeral of the terrorists killed in Operation Sindoor in Pakistan attracted much attention because of the presence of high-ranking Pakistan Army officials, and the man leading the rituals.

 

Pakistan's Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, in a press conference, had termed Hafiz Abdul Rauf, who led the prayers of terrorists killed at the Lashkar-e-Taiba headquarter in Mudrike, Pakistan's Punjab, a common man, living in Lahore with "three daughters, son".

 

"This man is Hafiz Abdur Rauf, who is actually leading the prayers. He has got three daughters, son and he is born in March 1973. You can see his family details and everything," Chaudhry had said in a presentation.

 

As proof, he gave Rauf’s Computerized National Identity Card number 35202-5400413-9 along with his date of birth – March 25, 1973 – and that he was a resident of Lahore.

 

However, Rauf’s details matched with those in the database of Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the US Treasury department, which maintains a list of Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons list ("SDN List"), thus exposing Pakistan’s lie. The OFAC database shows his National ID No: NIC 277-93-113495, a Pakistani passport (CM1074131) that was issued on October 29, 2008, and expired in 2013, and another Pakistani passport (A7523531).

 

According to the US database, Rauf has multiple addresses. The ones in Lahore include:

4 Lake Road;

two Room No. 7 Choburji Dola Khurd;

129 Jinnah Block;

5-Chamberlain Road

 

The other addresses include Awan Town, Multan Road, 33, Street No. 3, District Khanewal.

 

A statement from Press Information Bureau (PIB) late on Monday said, "The identity details shared by DG ISPR completely overlap with the details of Hafiz Abdur Rauf, a member of LeT's senior leadership since at least 1999 and part of the US Sanctions List."

 

According to PTI, Rauf, an active LeT member since 1999, has been a close associate of Hafiz Saeed. His presence at the funeral, along with senior army and police officers in uniform and wreath from Pakistan's Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz – niece of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif – had been highlighted by India to prove its allegation of the nexus between Pakistan government and army, and terrorists.

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