Rahmatullah Nabil says “Hidden hands” behind deadly Islamabad mosque attack

KABUL: Former head of the National Security Directorate of the fallen republic, Rahmatullah Nabil, has stated that organized networks and “hidden hands” are behind the recent deadly attack in Islamabad. Mr. Nabil made the remarks on his X platform, noting that in recent weeks, following the announcement by Pakistan’s military leadership regarding the deployment of military forces to Gaza, several prominent Shia scholars in Pakistan took a strong stance against this decision. He pointed out that among these scholars was Allama Sayed Nazir Abbas Naqvi, who publicly opposed the decision. According to Nabil, the attack on the Shia mosque in Pakistan was carried out by a jihadist group called “Harakat al-Mujahideen,” which he claims is linked to the Pakistani intelligence agency (ISI). He alleges that the attack occurred with the assistance of the ISI’s “hidden hands,” but no official position has yet been announced by Pakistani authorities regarding these claims. Nabil further stated that Harakat al-Mujahideen operates under the leadership of Maulana Fazal-ur-Rehman Khalil, who, according to him, became involved with armed networks after the onset of the Afghan conflict in the 1980s and had connections with al-Qaeda and Osama bin Laden. In 1998, Khalil signed a fatwa against the United States, leading to his inclusion on the U.S. and UN sanctions lists. Despite this, Nabil claims Khalil has enjoyed years of freedom to operate and move within Pakistan. The former security official also mentioned a photo depicting the close relationship between Maulana Khalil and the son of former ISI chief General Hamid Gul, asserting that such connections exemplify the region’s “dual security policy.” He emphasized that the complex relationships between jihadist groups, state security policies, and religion in South Asia often lead to the recurrence of such incidents.