Former Pakistan Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar faced a significant on-air embarrassment during a televised interview with Al Jazeera after being fact-checked in real time for attempting to portray a globally sanctioned terrorist, Hafiz Abdur Rauf, as an ordinary Pakistani citizen. The incident has drawn renewed scrutiny of Pakistan’s official narrative following India’s “Operation Sindoor” conducted on May 7.
Khar insisted that the man seen leading funeral prayers of the terrorists killed in the operation was “not the man that you are claiming it to be,” dismissing India’s identification of Rauf. “There are a million Abdul Raufs in Pakistan,” she argued, referring to the widespread name and denying any link to terrorism.
However, the interviewer interjected with hard facts: “The Pakistan Army did not deny the image’s authenticity. In fact, they released his national ID number — the same number that appears in the US terrorist sanctions list.”
Pakistan Army’s ID Reveal Matches US-Sanctioned Terrorist Profile
The Pakistan military’s own statements have effectively confirmed the identity. Following the controversy around the funeral, the Director General of the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Major General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, defended the man as a “preacher and a member of the Pakistan Markazi Muslim League with three daughters and a son.”
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In a detailed press briefing, Chaudhry revealed identity details, including the Computerised National Identity Card number 35202-5400413-9 and birthdate March 25, 1973, confirming he was a resident of Lahore. These exact details match those listed by the United States Department of the Treasury in its Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List, identifying Rauf as a senior Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative and head of the Falah-i-Insaniat Foundation (FIF), an LeT front.
The OFAC (Office of Foreign Assets Control) database corroborates this information with multiple addresses in Lahore and other Pakistani cities, along with National ID No. NIC 277-93-113495, and passport numbers CM1074131 and A7523531, further solidifying the connection.
Despite the overwhelming match, Khar attempted to salvage her position by saying, “The Pakistani army is not defending the person who is proscribed by the US.” The interviewer pointed out that her own statement conflicted with the army’s published facts.
