Azam Cheema, the intelligence chief of LeT, passed away due to a heart attack in Faisalabad. However, his demise has sparked widespread speculation in Pakistan’s jihadi circles, particularly following the mysterious deaths of several LeT members in recent months.

Pakistan has alleged that Indian agencies are responsible for these killings, a claim that India has refuted.

While New Delhi asserted that it does not maintain any such ‘killing list’, if such a list did exist, Cheema would have likely been at the top alongside JUD chief Hafiz Saeed and JeM chief Maulana Masood Azhar.

Cheema played a significant role in planning the 26/11 terror attacks, as well as the July 2006 Mumbai train bombings, along with numerous other terrorist incidents in India. His death reaffirms to Indian agencies the presence of a recognized terrorist on Pakistani soil, despite Islamabad’s repeated denials. According to intelligence sources, Cheema was described as a hard-to-find LeT operative who spoke Punjabi, had a beard, and was physically well-built. During the early 2000s, he resided in Bahawalpur, Pakistan, with his wife and two children.

Having served in the Afghan war, Cheema was recognized for his expertise in reading maps, particularly those of India.

In 2008, Cheema held the position of LeT commander for Bahawalpur in Pakistan. During this time, he was appointed as an operations advisor to Lashkar’s senior figure Zaki-Ur-Rehman Lakhvi. He actively participated in the planning, execution, and training of recruits for the 26/11 Mumbai attacks. The US Department of Treasury identifies him as a ‘key commander’ in LeT’s operations, noting its connections to Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaida network. LeT was designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the US in December 2001 and by the UN Committee in May 2005.