ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MoIB) on Monday rejected a claim by former US special envoy for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad, who alleged that an ISIS-Khorasan (ISIS-K) commander had been killed in Punjab.
In a post on X late Sunday, Khalilzad stated that a senior ISIS-K figure, identified as Burhan alias Zaid, had been killed in “Patak part of Akhtarabad city in Punjab”.
Responding through its fact-checking account, the MoIB said the claim was incorrect, clarifying that the incident took place in Habibabad, Kasur district, on March 2, and not in Akhtarabad. It added that the victim, Burhan, was killed in a robbery or personal enmity case, not during any counterterrorism action.
An FIR regarding the killing was registered on March 6 at the Saddar Pattoki police station. According to officials, Burhan had been residing with his father-in-law, Shah Muhammad, near a fruit market in Habibabad.
The ministry further said credible security assessments found no presence of ISIS/ISKP elements in Punjab, and that there was no evidence linking Burhan to the militant group. It noted that Khalilzad’s claim had incorrectly framed a criminal incident as a terrorism-related killing, creating a misleading impression of ISKP activity in the province.
Authorities reiterated that the case remains a routine criminal matter with no connection to militancy or organised terror groups.
