Latest news with #HinaRabbaniKhar


India.com
09-07-2025
- Politics
- India.com
Who is Hina Rabbani Khar, the former Foreign Minister of Pakistan, shamelessly exposed on live TV for...
Hina Khar- File image Islamabad: Hina Rabbani Khar was recently exposed on LIVE television when she was defending a UN-designate terrorist and got publicly challenged over claims that the US- and UN-designated Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist, Hafiz Abdur Rauf, led funeral prayers in Pakistan. Here are all the details you need to know about Hina Rabbani Khar and the recent controversy that is going viral on the internet. Who is Hina Rabbani Khar? Hina Rabbani Khar is a Pakistani stateswoman and economist who was the 26th Foreign Minister of Pakistan. Coming from a powerful feudal family, Hina began her political career in 2002 in the government of Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz and subsequently served in the Finance Ministry and Foreign Ministry as Minister of State. The World Economic Forum mentions that Hina served again in the Finance Ministry in the absence of the then Finance Minister in 2009 after successfully contesting the 2008 general election. Notably, Hina Rabbani Khar was appointed the first female Foreign Minister in July 2011. She is widely regarded as one of the highest ranking women in Pakistani politics. Why is Hina Rabbani Khar in news? Former Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar was exposed on LIVE television when she was publicly challenged over claims that a US- and UN-designated Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist, Hafiz Abdur Rauf, led funeral prayers in Pakistan. 'I am telling you, with authority, with evidence which has been shared with the whole world, that this is not the man that you (India) are claiming it to be. That is not the man you are claiming it to be,' she said, holding up the photo as part of her argument', Hina was seen saying in the viral video. Watch video: Former Pak Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar, speaking to Al-Jazeera, claimed that thousands of Abdur Raufs exist in Pakistan. Lashkar terrst Hafiz Abdul Rauf, who led the funeral at Muridke, was a completely different person. Proving terrst Hafiz Abdul Rauf's innocence is… — OsintTV 📺 (@OsintTV) July 8, 2025 'They (Pakistan army) said that he's a member of a political party, and they released his national ID number. That ID number is the same one as on the US sanctions list. So, according to the US sanctions terrorist list, this man is a terrorist,' the journalist said, exposing the contradiction in Pakistan's narrative.


Time of India
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
No shortage of terrorists: Former Pakistani foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar accidentally confirms what India always said
Synopsis In an awkward Al Jazeera interview, Pakistan's former foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar tried to brush off India's claim that Hafiz Abdul Rauf, a UN-sanctioned Lashkar-e-Taiba leader, led funeral prayers for slain terrorists. But when a journalist confronted her with undeniable proof — a national ID number that matches US terror watchlists — her story began to fall apart. The saga throws fresh light on Pakistan's old habit of shielding known extremists under the guise of denial.


Hindustan Times
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
‘Million Abdul Raufs in Pakistan': Ex-minister Hina Rabbani Khar exposed on live TV over terrorist's funeral photo
Hina Rabbani Khar, Pakistan's former foreign minister, faced an awkward moment on live TV when she tried to portray a designated terrorist as a "common man", only to be promptly fact-checked by the host. Former Pakistan foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar during her interview with Al Jazeera, where she was fact-checked over remarks dismissing a US-designated terrorist's identity in a viral funeral image.(AFP and a screengrab from 'X') In an interview with Al Jazeera, Hina Rabbani Khar was defending Pakistan's position on Hafiz Abdur Rauf, a US-sanctioned global terrorist seen leading the funeral procession of terrorists killed in India's Operation Sindoor on May 7. The journalist then presented a widely circulated photograph of Rauf, the same photo was part of key evidence in India's global outreach in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack, which killed 26 people. Trying to prove the claims as wrong, Khar insisted the man in the now-viral funeral image was not the Lashkar-e-Taiba-linked figure wanted by the US. She said, "There are a million Abdul Raufs in Pakistan." 'I am telling you, with authority, with evidence which has been shared with the whole world, that this is not the man that you (India) are claiming it to be. That is not the man you are claiming it to be,' she said, holding up the photo as part of her argument. Anchor counters with facts, ID match But the interview took a sharp turn when the news channel's anchor confronted her with evidence linking the man in the photo to the US-designated terrorist. The journalist said her and the Pakistan military's statements are different. 'They (Pakistan army) said that he's a member of a political party, and they released his national ID number. That ID number is the same one as on the US sanctions list. So, according to the US sanctions terrorist list, this man is a terrorist,' the journalist said, exposing the contradiction in Pakistan's narrative. Cornered by the evidence, Khar scrambled to draw a distinction between the individual defended by the Pakistani military and the person on the US blacklist. 'The Pakistani army is defending this man (in viral photo). The Pakistani army is not defending the person who is proscribed by the US,' she argued. However, the interviewer immediately pointed out that the identity card released by Pakistan's own army matched the ID number listed on the US sanctions list—leaving little room for denial. ISPR's details match US database After India's operation on Pakistan's terror hubs, at a press conference in May, Pakistan's Director General ISPR Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry had confirmed the man seen in the funeral video is named Hafiz Abdur Rauf. 'This man is Hafiz Abdur Rauf, who is leading the prayers. He has three daughters, a son, and he was born in March 1973. You can see his family details and everything,' Chaudhry said. Also Read | Who is Hafiz Abdul Rauf, man leading funeral of terrorists killed in Operation Sindoor? While he described the man as an ordinary Pakistani, the ID number and personal details presented by ISPR match those listed in the US Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctions database. India cited the development as further proof of the nexus between Pakistan's state agencies and internationally sanctioned terrorist groups. A statement from India's Press Information Bureau at that time, said, 'The identity details shared by DG ISPR completely overlap with the details of Hafiz Abdur Rauf, a member of LeT's senior leadership since at least 1999 and part of the US Sanctions List.' Top officials attend funeral of slain terrorists Rauf, a close aide of 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed, is also the former head of the Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation (FIF), an LeT front organisation banned in several countries. The funeral was held at the Lashkar-e-Taiba headquarters in Muridke, Punjab. Photographs and video footage show senior Pakistani police and military officials in attendance. A ceremonial wreath was sent by Punjab chief minister Maryam Nawaz, the niece of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Rauf is listed under various aliases and addresses in the OFAC database, including locations across Lahore such as 4 Lake Road, Choburji Dola Khurd, Jinnah Block, and Chamberlain Road. He held Pakistani passports CM1074131 and A7523531, issued in 2008 and expired in 2013 — details that further confirm his identity as per international records.


Time of India
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
'Millions of Abdul Raufs': Ex-Pakistan FM Hina Rabbani downplays LeT terrorist's funeral photo; gets fact-checked by journalist
Hina Rabbani Khar (Picture from X) Pakistan's former foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar faced an uncomfortable moment during a recent Al Jazeera interview as she attempted to defend a man, seen leading funeral prayers for terrorists killed in India's counterterror Operation Sindoor. The individual, widely identified as senior Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) leader Hafiz Abdul Rauf, a UN-designated terrorist, was seen leading funeral prayers for terrorists killed in the Operation Sindoor strikes, where the bodies were accorded full state honours in Pakistan, with uniformed police and army personnel in attendance. Khar claimed the man in question was not the LeT figure India accuses him of being. "I am telling you with authority, with evidence which has been shared with the whole world, that this is not the man that you (India) are claiming it to be. There are a million Abdul Raufs in Pakistan," she said, dismissing India's assertion. However, her defence began to falter when the interviewer pointed out that the man's national ID number matches one listed on the US Treasury Department's sanctions database. The journalist mentioned that the national identity number belonging to Hafiz Abdul Rauf -- 35202-5400413-9 -- was identical to the one listed by the US Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and the US Treasury's list of Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGT). by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Ystradgynlais: If You Were Born Between 1945-1974 You Could Be Eligible For This British Seniors Get Quote Pressed further, Khar responded, "The Pakistani army is defending this man. The Pakistani army is not defending the person who is proscribed by the US." She continued, "The ISPR (Inter-Services Public Relations of Pakistan Army) categorically has said that this is not the same person, and you just sat over here and told me that they just defended him and did not say it is not the same person." The man at the centre of the controversy, Hafiz Abdul Rauf, is known to be a close associate of 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed and holds senior status in the LeT. The presence of his identity number in the official document shown by Pakistan's military spokesperson, DG ISPR Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif, matched that of the terrorist sanctioned by the United States. Under Operation Sindoor, India carried out precision strikes on nine terrorist hubs in Pakistan and PoK, including a major Lashkar-e-Taiba base in Muridke, which was reduced to rubble. In an unexpected revelation, the same US list also names Lt Gen Sharif's father, Mahmood Sultan Bashiruddin, as a designated terrorist with links to al-Qaida -- further raising questions about the Pakistani military's role in shielding extremists.


News18
09-07-2025
- Politics
- News18
‘Millions Named Rauf': Ex-Pakistan Minister Hina Rabbani's Defence Of US-Designated Terrorist Backfires
Last Updated: The awkward exchange has since gone viral, exposing Pakistan's internal contradictions over its handling of internationally proscribed individuals. Former Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar found herself cornered during a live Al Jazeera interview after attempting to downplay the presence of a US-designated terrorist at a funeral procession in Pakistan. Khar, aiming to defend Islamabad's stance following India's Operation Sindoor, claimed that the individual seen leading the funeral — Hafiz Abdur Rauf — was merely a 'common man" and not the global terrorist listed under US sanctions. 'There are countless people with that name in Pakistan," Khar insisted, holding up the image of the man spotted during the funeral of militants killed in the May 7 operation by Indian forces. 'This is not the person India claims it is," she reiterated, asserting that evidence had been shared globally to support her claim. Former Pak Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar, speaking to Al-Jazeera, claimed that thousands of Abdur Raufs exist in Pakistan. Lashkar terrst Hafiz Abdul Rauf, who led the funeral at Muridke, was a completely different terrst Hafiz Abdul Rauf's innocence is… — OsintTV 📺 (@OsintTV) July 8, 2025 However, the interview quickly turned confrontational when the Al Jazeera anchor countered her statement. Referring to a press conference held by the Pakistan military, the anchor pointed out that the army had not denied the authenticity of the image. Instead, they described the individual as a member of a political party and even released his national ID number—one that matches the ID listed under US terrorism sanctions. Pressed further, Khar attempted to clarify, citing the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) wing of the Pakistan Army, saying, 'The ISPR has clearly stated it is not the same person." The interviewer, however, pointed out the contradiction: 'You just said the army defended him. They didn't deny the identity." The awkward exchange has since gone viral, exposing Pakistan's internal contradictions over its handling of internationally proscribed individuals. view comments First Published: July 09, 2025, 12:28 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.