Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar, also known as Abu Hashim, a US-designated Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist and Punjab president of the Pakistan Markazi Muslim League (PMML), has reportedly died in Lahore after collapsing and suffering a fatal fall down a staircase, according to Pakistani media reports.

A PMML spokesperson said Sarwar was travelling from his home to a mosque for prayers when he suddenly collapsed. While the party did not officially disclose the cause of death, local broadcaster 24NewsHD reported that he sustained a severe head injury after falling down the stairs.

Sarwar was a senior figure within LeT and had longstanding links to the organisation’s leadership. The PMML is widely regarded as the political front of Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD), the organisation founded by Mumbai attacks mastermind Hafiz Saeed.

Several PMML leaders, including Khalid Masood Sindhu, Saifullah Qasuri, Hafiz Talha Saeed, Yaqub Sheikh, Khalid Naik Gujjar and Muzammil Iqbal Hashmi, expressed condolences following his death. Party officials described his passing as a major loss for the organisation.

His funeral was reportedly scheduled to take place at Jamia Al-Qadsia, the JuD headquarters in Lahore.

Sarwar was designated a Specially Designated Global Terrorist by the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) in 2016 alongside fellow LeT leader Shahid Mahmood. The sanctions were intended to disrupt the group's fundraising and support networks.

According to OFAC, Sarwar had served as a senior LeT official in Lahore for more than a decade and held several leadership positions. He was identified as LeT’s Lahore chief from at least January 2015 and maintained close ties with the organisation’s senior leadership.

US authorities accused him of playing a key role in raising, transferring and managing funds for LeT operations. OFAC records also indicated that his association with the terrorist group dated back to the early 2000s and included involvement in fundraising activities through Pakistan’s formal financial system.

His death removes a long-serving LeT operative who had remained active within networks linked to the organisation’s political and financial structures.

Agencies