Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi[1] (Urdu: ذکی الرحمٰن لکھوی, born 30 December 1960) is a Pakistani Islamist militant, terrorist, and co-founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba.
[3] A graduate of Jamia Mohammadia in Gujranwala, an Ahl-e-Hadith school, he has been considered by Amir Hamza, a co-founder of the LeT, as "the architect of Salafi jihad in Pakistan.
[9][10] Belonging to the Lakhokay (village) caste, his mother is Maulana Moeenuddin Lakhviʹs stepsister,[11] an Ahl-e-Hadith scholar and leader who died in 2011 at the age of 93.
Indian officials claim Lakhvi also oversaw Azam Cheema, who has been accused of being a leader in the 2006 bombing of the Mumbai rail network that killed more than 200 and left 700 injured.
[22][23] On 25 November 2009 a Pakistani anti-terrorism court formally charged seven suspects, including LeT commander Lakhvi, with planning and helping execute the Mumbai attacks, an action that came a day before the first anniversary of the brazen assault.
[36][37] In 2024, a video verified through facial recognition showed Lakhvi participating in a fitness test, raising concerns about Pakistan's compliance with international sanctions.
[38][39] It is widely held that both the Pakistan Army and the ISI have ensured that crucial evidence against Lakhvi in the Mumbai terror attack case is not presented before the court.
[40][41][42][43] China has blocked the United Nations' attempts to place Lakhvi on its list of suspected terrorists whose financial assets should be frozen.