New Delhi, August 25, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) has stepped up its organisational expansion and outreach activities across Pakistan, with Indian agencies reporting that the terrorist group has established seven new markaz and mosques in Sindh province over the past year.
According to information gathered by Indian agencies, the facilities are being funded through multiple channels, including alleged support from the Pakistani establishment. The group is also conducting fundraising campaigns and receiving money from foreign countries in the name of charitable activities.
An Intelligence Bureau official said the rapid establishment of such facilities indicated a significant expansion drive by the LeT.
Senior commanders, including Saifullah Kasauri, Talha Hafiz Saeed and Nadeem Faisal, have reportedly been travelling to different parts of Pakistan in heavily guarded convoys and holding meetings with LeT operatives.
Officials said the markaz and mosque facilities are being used as outreach centres, with activities including recruitment, fundraising and mobilisation. The expansion comes as the LeT seeks to rebuild its network after suffering losses during Operation Sindoor, which followed the Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir that killed 26 people.
One of the group’s major training facilities in Muridke was among those hit during the operation, according to the source material.
While Sindh is currently a major focus of the expansion, officials said similar outreach programmes could eventually be undertaken in other parts of Pakistan. The group is also allegedly using political and politically affiliated organisations to provide greater public legitimacy to such activities.
Officials further said LeT cadres have been attending election rallies and other large public events, where they seek to interact with people and promote the organisation’s agenda. The group has also reportedly held meetings with political parties and their leaders in recent months as part of efforts to enter the political mainstream and gain legitimacy.
According to officials, this strategy could also help the organisation remain outside the immediate focus of international scrutiny, including scrutiny linked to the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).
An official alleged that the expansion was taking place with state support, pointing to police escorts accompanying convoys carrying senior LeT figures. The official claimed this indicated that Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) had directed the police to provide security to individuals designated internationally as terrorists.
Officials said the group’s attempts at political and social outreach have not diminished its alleged terror-related activities. They claimed there has been a significant build-up of terrorists in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), with cadres of the LeT, Jaish-e-Mohammad and Hizbul Mujahideen reportedly awaiting opportunities to infiltrate Jammu and Kashmir.
Indian agencies have also flagged alleged attempts by the LeT to reach out to its networks in Jammu and Kashmir and encourage similar outreach efforts there. Officials said these networks were being advised to interact with political figures to avoid attracting scrutiny.
The agencies described such outreach as a security concern, saying it could be aimed at recruiting young people and drawing them into terror-related activities.
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