Key commander of banned outfit gunned down in ambush

• Zia ur Rehman alias Abu Qatal targeted on Mangla-Jhelum road.
• Deceased, gunman killed on spot after being shot by assailant.
• Former close aide blame Indian intelligence agency RAW for attack.

ISLAMABAD: A key commander of a proscribed organisation was killed along with his armed gunman after they were ambushed by an assailant on a motorcycle on the road connecting Mangla and Jhelum, The News reported on Sunday.

Identified as Abu Qatal, whose real name was Zia ur Rehman, was travelling in his black jeep when the gun attack took place, leading to on spot death of the commander and his guard. 

Sources said that the suspected assailant was apprehended soon after the attack, but there has been no official confirmation of the arrest.

A former close associate of Abu Qatal alleged that he was the latest victim of an ongoing target-killing campaign by India's intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW).

His assassination is not an isolated incident. Over the past two years, more than a dozen militants associated with various groups have been mysteriously killed in Pakistan. 

Many of these attacks involved unknown assailants on motorcycles, a pattern that has led to suspicions of involvement by foreign intelligence agencies, particularly RAW.

Ihsan Ghani, a former police officer and retired Intelligence Bureau (IB) director general, while speaking to this correspondent, also linked the attack to RAW.

"RAW has made its modus operandi clear across the world, and this incident reflects the same. Unfortunately, they are using terrorism as a state weapon, which is absolutely not good for the region," he said.

Despite efforts, Jhelum district police officer Tariq Aziz Sandho was not available for comment.