Sirajuddin Haqqani aka Khalifa aka Sirajuddin Jallaloudine Haqqani is a globally designated terrorist who is being sought by multiple agencies across the world for crimes against humanity. Today, he is the interior minister of Taliban-led Afghanistan.
In many ways, this signals a new dimension to the global war on terror. Many members of the newly-formed Taliban cabinet have links to some or the other terrorist organisation, including Al Qaeda.
Sirajuddin, whose ties with Pakistan’s espionage agency Inter-Services Intelligence and the Pakistan Army are well-documented, has orchestrated out attacks against Indian assets in Afghanistan, including the Indian embassy in Kabul.
Not only was Sirajuddin the brain behind a suicide bombing in 2008 in which 58 people, including Indian diplomats, were killed, he also orchestrated the attack on Kabul’s Har Rai Saheb Gurdwara in 2020 that claimed 25 lives.
In a paper authored in 2020, Rudra Chaudhuri, director of think-tank Carnegie India, observed that considering the close links between the ISI and the Haqqani leadership, it is highly likely that a Haqqani group will continue with its anti-India agenda.
As per the United States Department of State list of wanted terrorists, Sirajuddin Haqqani carries a reward of up to $5 million (over Rs 36.7 crore) on his head.
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