The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on Monday rejected Zalmay Khalilzad’s misleading remarks about the killing of a Daesh-Khorasan commander in Punjab, saying the former US envoy had created a false impression about the group’s presence in the province.
Khalilzad wrote on X on Sunday night: “Good news from Pakistan: Reportedly a senior [Daesh]-K commander Burhan, also known as Zaid, was killed in Patak part of Akhtarabad city in Punjab.”
The ministry’s official fact-check account said that the incident being referenced actually occurred at Habibabad, Kasur, on March 5, and also shared a copy of the First Information Report (FIR) registered at Saddar Patoki police station on March 6.
It added that the “victim, Burhan, was killed by a dacoity/robbery-related incident or a case of personal enmity, not a counter-terror operation”.
The ministry categorically said that there was “no evidence” linking Burhan to Daesh, nor was he a commander. “The case remains a criminal matter, not related to militancy or organised terror groups.”
It said that there was no presence of Daesh elements in Punjab province, according to credible security assessments.
The ministry said that Khalilzad’s post “twists a purely criminal or personal dispute into a terrorism-linked killing, creating a false impression of ISKP activity in Punjab”.
