Indian media has claimed that the religious scholar allegedly involved in the abduction of Indian citizen and former Navy officer Kulbhushan Jadhav from Iran has been killed in Turbat.
This claim is being linked to the killing of Mufti Shah Meer, a religious figure, who was shot dead two days ago in Turbat, the central city of Balochistan’s Kech district.
Mufti Shah Meer Bizenjo was shot and killed on Friday night in the Malikabad area of Turbat while he was performing Taraweeh prayers. A bullet hit his head, killing him instantly.
According to political and social circles, Mufti Shah Meer belonged to the Kech district of Balochistan and was an active member of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F). He was well known as a religious scholar and was recognized for his religious and political views in various circles. However, he was also openly associated with Pakistan’s intelligence agencies and was accused of being involved in the killings and enforced disappearances of Baloch political activists.
“In 2013, the Baloch nationalist militant group Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF) attacked him, but he survived. Later, in 2024, another attack took place at the same mosque where he was eventually killed. That attack had injured five children.”
In March 2016, Pakistani authorities claimed to have arrested Indian citizen Kulbhushan Jadhav and, within the same month, Pakistan’s military alleged that Jadhav was an officer of the Indian Navy and a spy for India’s intelligence agency, RAW.
A few days later, Pakistan released a video of Kulbhushan Jadhav’s confession while in custody, and the Balochistan government registered an FIR against him under terrorism charges.
In April 2017, a military court convicted Jadhav for involvement in terrorist activities in Pakistan and sentenced him to death on April 10.
Following the death sentence, India approached the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on May 10, 2017, appealing for a stay on Jadhav’s execution. On May 15, 2017, the ICJ held a hearing on India’s petition and, after listening to arguments from both sides, reserved its judgment.
Three days later, the ICJ issued its ruling, directing Pakistan to halt Jadhav’s execution until a final decision was reached in the case.