With Pakistan trying to frame its own narrative regarding the presence of terrorists in the country, there seem to be contradiction in the claims made by politicians and the army. Former Pakistan foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar has claimed on live TV that the man seen leading the funeral prayers for terrorists killed during Operation Sindoor was not US-sanctioned terrorist Hafiz Abdur Rauf, only to be fact-checked by the journalist.
Speaking during an interview with Al Jazeera, Khar was presented with photo of Hafiz Abdur Rauf that was projected by India as an evidence of link between the Pakistani army officials and terrorists who were attending the funeral together. Rauf is a member of Lashkar-e-Taiba's senior leadership since 1999.
Former Pak Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar, speaking to Al-Jazeera, claimed that thousands of Abdur Raufs exist in Pakistan. Lashkar terrst Hafiz Abdul Rauf, who led the funeral at Muridke, was a completely different person.
— OsintTV 📺 (@OsintTV) July 8, 2025
Proving terrst Hafiz Abdul Rauf's innocence is… pic.twitter.com/6p5CBwrn4h
However, Khar alleged that the man in the photo was not the terrorist wanted by the US, adding that there are a million Abdur Raufs in Pakistan.
“I am telling you, with authority, with evidence which has been shared with the whole world, that this is not the man that you (India) are claiming it to be. That is not the man you are claiming it to be,” Khar argued.
However, the journalist was quick to fact-check the former minister, pointing out that she is contradicting the Pakistani army.
When Khar said the Pakistan army is defending the man in the photo and not the terrorist, the host pointed out that the military had released Abdur Rauf's national ID number, which is the same one as on the US sanctions list. "So, according to the US sanctions terrorist list, this man is a terrorist," he said.
🚨Is Hafiz Abdur Rauf really a Common man❓
— PIB Fact Check (@PIBFactCheck) May 12, 2025
Pakistan’s DG ISPR claims that LeT terrorist Hafiz Abdur Rauf is an 'Innocent Man'#PIBFactCheck
❌DG ISPR's "COMMON MAN" is a Globally Sanctioned Terrorist - clearly visible in the viral terrorist funeral picture
✅The identity… pic.twitter.com/Dy8mN72hfo
On May 11, Pakistan Director General ISPR Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said the man seen in the funeral video is named Hafiz Abdur Rauf, who he said was a "common man".
“This man is Hafiz Abdur Rauf, who is leading the prayers. He has three daughters, a son, and he was born in March 1973. You can see his family details and everything,” Chaudhry said in a presentation at a press meet. He also said the preacher was a member of the Pakistan Markazi Muslim League party.
PIB's fact-check team had countered the Pakistani official's claim, saying the details of the man presented by the DG ISPR overlap completely with the details of Hafiz Abdur Rauf, who is part of the US sanctions list.
