LAHORE, OCT 19: Muhammad Sarwar, a senior Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative designated as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist by the US Treasury Department, died in Pakistan’s Lahore on Sunday under circumstances that have not been officially clarified.
Sarwar was serving as the Punjab president of the Pakistan Markazi Muslim League (PMML), a political offshoot of Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD), the organisation associated with Mumbai terror attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed.
According to a statement issued by a PMML spokesperson, Sarwar was travelling from his residence to a mosque to offer prayers when he suddenly collapsed and died. The party did not disclose the exact cause of his death. However, Pakistan’s 24NewsHD TV channel reported that he suffered a head injury after falling down a staircase.
Several PMML leaders, including Khalid Masood Sindhu, Saifullah Qasuri, Hafiz Talha Saeed, Yaqub Sheikh, Khalid Naik Gujjar and Muzammil Iqbal Hashmi, expressed condolences over his death. Hashmi described Sarwar as a strong and fearless leader, saying the party had lost an important figure.
Sarwar’s funeral was scheduled to take place late Sunday night at Jamia Al-Qadsia, the Jamaat-ud-Dawa headquarters in Lahore’s Chuburji area.
US Designated Sarwar As A Global Terrorist In 2016
The US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated Sarwar and another senior Lashkar-e-Taiba operative, Shahid Mahmood, as Specially Designated Global Terrorists in 2016.
The action targeted the organisation’s fundraising and financial support networks. According to OFAC, both individuals were involved in raising and transferring funds to support LeT’s operations. The designation also blocked their property and interests in property subject to US jurisdiction.
US authorities stated that Sarwar had held senior positions within Lashkar-e-Taiba for more than a decade and had served as the group’s Lahore chief since at least January 2015.
His association with the organisation dated back to the early 2000s. According to OFAC, he was involved in fundraising activities and used Pakistan’s formal financial system to collect and transfer money on behalf of the group.
In 2008, Sarwar reportedly led delegations of businessmen to LeT facilities to solicit donations. By mid-2009, he was among two officials overseeing the organisation’s finance wing in Lahore.
OFAC also documented his links with senior LeT figures, including Hafiz Abdul Rahman Makki, the group’s former foreign affairs chief, who was designated by the US in November 2010.
Meanwhile, Hafiz Saeed has been imprisoned at Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat Jail since 2019 after convictions in multiple terror-financing cases, according to officials.
Sarwar’s death marks the end of a long association with the organisation, which has been the target of international counterterrorism and financial sanctions.
