ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has dismissed a claim by former U.S special envoy for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad, who alleged that an ISIS-Khorasan (ISIS-K) commander had been killed in Punjab.
Khalilzad, in a post on X on Sunday night, stated that a senior ISIS-K commander identified as Burhan, also known as Zaid, was reportedly killed in Patak, part of Akhtarabad city in Punjab.
Responding on Monday, Pakistan’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting official fact-checking account clarified that the incident occurred in Habibabad, Kasur district, on March 5 — not in Akhtarabad as claimed.
The ministry further stated that Burhan’s death resulted from a robbery-related incident or personal enmity rather than any counter-terror operation.
Authorities confirmed that a First Information Report (FIR) was filed on March 6 at the Saddar Pattoki police station. Burhan had been residing with his father-in-law, Shah Muhammad, near a fruit market in Habibabad.
The ministry emphasized that there is no presence of ISIS-K/ISKP elements in Punjab according to credible security assessments. It further noted there is no evidence linking Burhan to ISKP, let alone identifying him as a commander.
The MoIB criticized Khalilzad’s post for misrepresenting a “purely criminal or personal dispute” as an act linked to terrorism, warning that such assertions create a misleading perception of ISKP activity in the province.
The case, officials reiterated, remains strictly a criminal matter unrelated to militancy or organized terror groups.
