Continuing the string of mysterious deaths on foreign soil, unknown gunmen have reportedly neutralised Mufti Shah Mir in Balochistan, Pakistan. Mir was fatally shot when he was coming out of the mosque after offering prayers. Mir had infamously helped Pakistan’s intelligence agency ISI in the kidnapping of retired Indian Navy officer Kulbhushan Jadhav from Iran.
Mir was accused of promoting terrorism and was also involved in crimes like human trafficking.
According to Pakistan’s portal DAWN, Mufti Shah Mir was coming out of the mosque after Friday prayers on the night of March 7, 2025 when bike-borne attackers ambushed him. While he was rushed to the hospital, doctors declared him dead.
Mufti Mir was also a member of Pakistan’s Islamic fundamentalist political party Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam. In Pakistani media reports Mir has been described as an Islamic scholar of Turbat and Balochistan. Shah was also considered close to Pakistan’s National Assembly member and senior leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman.
As an ISI agent, Mufti infamously played a hand in kidnapping of Indian Navy officer Kulbhushan Jadhav from Iran and forcibly bringing him to Pakistan.
Kulbhushan Jadhav case
Retired Indian Navy officer Kulbhushan Jadhav was kidnapped by the Pakistani Army from Iran in March 2016. The Pakistani army had claimed that Kulbhushan was an employee of the Indian intelligence agency R&AW (Research and Analysis Wing) and he was caught spying from Balochistan. However, the Indian government had busted Pakistan’s lie stating that their claims were “false” adding that Jadhav was kidnapped from Iran.
The Indian government had also rubbished Pakistan’s claim that Kulbhushan Jadhav was a spy.
Also Read: This Week in Focus: The Deep State Playbook Part 3 – Economic Coercion
Kulbhushan Jadhav used to do business in Iran. During this time, he was kidnapped from Iran and arrested on 30 March 2016. India had also accused Pakistan of torturing Kulbhushan Jadhav in Pakistan’s jail. Later, in April 2017, the military court of Pakistan sentenced Kulbhushan Jadhav to death on charges of espionage and terrorism. Subsequently, India approached the International Court of Justice (ICJ) against Pakistan for refusing to give diplomatic access to Jadhav and challenging his death sentencing.
After hearing arguments from both sides, the Hague-based ICJ in July 2019 had asked Pakistan to grant India diplomatic access to Jadhav and ensure review of the sentence.
