Overview
- Mufti Shah Mir, a religious scholar associated with the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam party, was killed by gunmen on motorcycles while leaving a mosque in Turbat, Balochistan, on Friday night.
- Mir had been accused of collaborating with Pakistan's ISI in the abduction of former Indian Navy officer Kulbhushan Jadhav from Iran in 2016, who is now imprisoned in Pakistan on charges of espionage.
- This marks the third assassination attempt on Mir, with the previous two attempts failing to take his life.
- Balochistan remains a region of unrest with reports of enforced disappearances, violence, and recent killings of other Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam leaders.
- The case of Kulbhushan Jadhav continues to strain India-Pakistan relations, with India contesting the fairness of his trial and Pakistan denying full consular access despite international directives.