Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar, a senior Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) figure designated a global terrorist by the United States, has died following a reported fall in Lahore, Pakistan.
Sarwar, also known as Abu Hashim, died on Sunday, October 18, at Markaz Qadsia, according to media reports. The Times of India reported that he fell from the building’s fourth floor.
Accounts differed on the precise circumstances. ABP Live, citing an audio recording attributed to LeT deputy chief Saifullah Kasuri, reported that Sarwar slipped while climbing the mosque’s stairs and suffered fatal head injuries. The circumstances of the fall have not been independently established.
The Times of India described Sarwar as a founding member of LeT and a close associate of its chief, Hafiz Saeed. It reported that he remained involved in fundraising activities in Pakistan’s Punjab province.
Sarwar’s role in the organisation’s financial network was documented by the US Treasury Department nearly a decade ago.
On December 28, 2016, the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control designated Sarwar and another senior LeT figure, Shahid Mahmood, as Specially Designated Global Terrorists for acting on behalf of the Pakistan-based organisation. The sanctions blocked their property under US jurisdiction and generally prohibited US persons from conducting transactions with them.
In its designation announcement, the Treasury said Sarwar had held several leadership positions and had served as LeT’s Lahore emir since at least January 2015.
US authorities also accused him of using Pakistan’s formal financial system to raise and transfer money for the group. The Treasury cited his involvement in taking business delegations to LeT facilities to solicit donations in 2008, and said he was one of two officials heading its Lahore finance wing by mid-2009.
The official record identifies the US Treasury Department as the authority responsible for his 2016 designation, correcting the Times of India report’s attribution to the US Justice Department.
