Lahore (Pakistan): Abdul Rehman Makki, deputy chief of Lashkar-e-Taiba and 26/11 Mumbai terror attack plotter, died in Pakistan on Friday as per reports. Makki was reportedly admitted to a Lahore hospital after he suffered a heart attack. He was Hafiz Saeed's brother-in-law, who was among one of the masterminds of the terror attack in Mumbai in 2008.
UNSC Designated Abdul Makki As Terrorist
In January 2023, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) designated Abdul Rahman Makki, top Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) leader and one of the masterminds behind the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, as a terrorist under the 1267 Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee. This designation placed Makki on the ISIL (Da’esh) and Al-Qaida Sanctions List, subjecting him to an asset freeze, travel ban and arms embargo in accordance with UNSC resolution 2610 (2021).
India had long sought to include Makki under this sanctions regime, but previous attempts were repeatedly thwarted by China’s vetoes in the Security Council. In June 2022, India, supported by the United States, pushed for Makki’s designation, but China blocked the proposal once again. This pattern reflected Beijing’s consistent moves to protect Pakistani leaders of terrorist groups, such as its repeated vetoes against designating Maulana Masood Azhar, chief of the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM).
Who Was Abdul Makki?
Makki, the brother-in-law of Hafiz Saeed (founder of LeT), was the Deputy Amir of LeT and reportedly oversaw its political affairs. He had also been involved in fundraising for the group’s activities, as per a NewsX report. The United States had already designated Makki as a terrorist on its domestic watchlist and placed a USD2 million bounty on his head. In 2020, a Pakistani anti-terrorism court convicted Makki of terrorism financing and sentenced him to jail.
