Overview

• Gul Rehman, also known as Ustad Mureed, is reported by Indian media and unnamed security sources to have died in Helmand on September 17 under unexplained circumstances.
• Rehman is described as a trainer and operational commander for the BLA-linked Majeed Brigade, also referred to by Pakistani officials as Fitna al-Hindustan.
• He is accused of planning the March 11 Jaffar Express hijacking in Balochistan, where tracks were blown up and hundreds of passengers were held in a protracted standoff.
• Pakistani sources say his reported presence and death in Afghanistan reinforce their assertions that cross-border safe havens facilitate attacks inside Pakistan.
• The United States designated the BLA and its Majeed Brigade affiliate as terrorist organizations in August, while Pakistan and China have urged a UN listing for the group.