Pakistan Army Attends Funeral with Banned JuD Members After Muridke Strike

Lahore: Amid rising concerns over its ties to terror groups, the Pakistan Army openly participated in the funeral of three Jamaat-ud-Dawah (JuD) members killed in an Indian airstrike on the group’s base in Muridke, near Lahore.
Political sources have confirmed that personnel from the Pakistan Army stood alongside members of the banned JuD — the organisation founded by 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed — to pay tribute to Qari Abdul Malik, Khalid, and Mudassir. The presence of army officials at the funeral of individuals linked to a globally designated terror outfit has once again raised serious questions about Pakistan’s counterterrorism stance and the widely criticized nexus between its military establishment and extremist organizations.
Tabish Qayyum, spokesperson for the Pakistan Markazi Muslim League (PMML) — the political wing of the JuD — publicly acknowledged the attendance of JuD members, Pakistan Army soldiers, and civil bureaucrats.
During the funeral, Qayyum declared: “The attack on Pakistan will not go unanswered. India will face retaliation in broad daylight.” The funeral prayers were led by Hafiz Abdul Rauf, a senior JuD leader, and included special prayers for the “defence of the nation.”
After the ceremony, the bodies were dispatched to the victims' hometowns for burial.