U.S.-Designated Terrorist and PMML Leader Muhammad Sarwar Dies in Lahore
Muhammad Sarwar, a U.S.-designated global terrorist and PMML leader, has died in Lahore. Explore the details surrounding his passing and his history.
POLICY WIRE — Lahore, Pakistan — Muhammad Sarwar, the Punjab president of the Pakistan Markazi Muslim League (PMML) and a figure designated as a global terrorist by the U.S. Treasury Department, passed away in Lahore on October 19, 2026.
A spokesperson for the PMML stated that Sarwar collapsed and died while traveling from his residence to a mosque for prayers. While the party has not officially confirmed the cause of death, the 24NewsHD television channel reported that he succumbed to a head injury sustained during a fall down a flight of stairs.
The PMML serves as a political wing of the Jamaat-ud-Dawa, an organization led by Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed. Saeed has remained incarcerated in Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat Jail since 2019 following convictions related to terror financing.
Several party officials, including Khalid Masood Sindhu, Saifullah Qasuri, Hafiz Talha Saeed, Yaqub Sheikh, Khalid Naik Gujjar, and Muzammil Iqbal Hashmi, publicly mourned the death. Muzammil Iqbal Hashmi described the passing as the loss of a strong and fearless leader for the organization.
Funeral arrangements were set for late Sunday, October 19, at the Jamia Al-Qadsia headquarters of the Jamaat-ud-Dawa in the Chuburji area of Lahore. Sarwar’s history with militant activities was extensive, leading the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) to label him and fellow Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) leader Shahid Mahmood as Specially Designated Global Terrorists in 2016.
The U.S. designation was intended to dismantle the financial networks supporting LeT. According to OFAC, Sarwar had served as the Lahore chief for the group since at least January 2015 and was instrumental in raising and transferring funds through formal financial systems for over a decade.
OFAC records indicate that Sarwar’s involvement with LeT began in the early 2000s. By 2008, he was actively soliciting donations from business leaders, and by 2009, he held a leadership position within the group’s finance wing in Lahore. During his tenure, he maintained close ties with senior leadership, including foreign affairs chief Hafiz Abdul Rahman Makki, who was previously designated by the U.S. in 2010.
Reporting by Policy-Wire (PW)