Srinagar,
In June 2016 when Naveed Jatt, alias Abu Hanzalla, the deputy of Lashkar’s operational commander Abu Qasim, was arrested from a hideout in Kulgam village of south Kashmir, it was termed as a huge success by the security forces.

According to the police, Naveed had infiltrated in 2012 and initially remained active in Kupwara district. However, soon he shifted his base to south Kashmir and operated under Pakistani commander Abu Qasim, the mastermind behind many deadly attacks in J&K that left dozens of security men dead.

“In south Kashmir, Naveed was involved in the killing of security men besides snatching of weapons,” a police officer said. “He is a top militant and his escape is worrisome.” The LeT had suffered a huge loss in November, when six top Pakistani militants of the group, including Osama Jangvi, the son of Abdul Rehman Makki, second-in-command of Jamat-ud-Dawah, and nephew of alleged mastermind of Mumbai attacks Zakir Rehman, were killed in a gunfight in Bandipore.

After his arrest in 2014, the police had said Naveed had confessed to his meeting with Mumbai attacker Ajmal Kasab at a training camp. Naveed was initially lodged in the Kathua jail and was shifted to Srinagar Central Jail in 2017. He was charged under the attempt to murder and Arms Act.