Shahid Latif, a key aide of Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar and mastermind of Pathankot 2016 attack gunned down

 Shahid Latif, a key aide of Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar and mastermind of the 2016 attack on the Indian Air Force base in Pathankot, and his brother were gunned down in a mosque in Pakistan’s Sialkot district on Wednesday, officials said.  

In 2010, Latif was released by India as part of the Dr Manmohan Singh government's effort to mend ties with Pakistan.

Three men who came on a motorcycle fired indiscriminately at 53-year-old Latif and his brother, Haris Hashim, as they were leaving the Noor Madina mosque in Daska town after pre-dawn prayers, officials in the know of developments said.

Latif, who was accompanied by his heavily armed guards, and his brother were killed on the spot in the mosque complex. The gunmen also pretended to be worshippers to enter the mosque complex.  

An alleged commander of the Jaish-e-Mohammad, Shahid Latif was one of the main handlers of the Pathankot attackers.  

The chargesheet on the Pathankot terror attack named Shahid Latif along with Jaish chief Maulana Masood Azhar, his brother Mufti Abdul Rauf Asghar and another handler called Kashif Jan.