Islamabad/New Delhi: India has announced that it carried out strikes on nine locations in Pakistan that it claims served as operational bases for planning terrorist attacks against Indian targets. The air raids come in the wake of a recent deadly assault in the Kashmir region, which New Delhi has blamed on militants affiliated with Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), an Islamist group based in Pakistan.
The two nuclear-armed neighbors, India and Pakistan, have a long history of tension, having fought two wars over the disputed territory of Kashmir since gaining independence from British rule in 1947. The region remains a flashpoint for armed conflict, insurgency, and political discord.
Following the latest escalation, Pakistan denied any role in the Kashmir attack. It reported that the Indian strikes resulted in the deaths of 26 civilians and claimed its forces shot down five Indian fighter jets. It warned that it would retaliate “to this aggression at a time, place, and means of our own choice.”
According to Indian officials, seven of the nine sites targeted in the strikes were linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), both of which are designated as terrorist organizations by the United Nations Security Council.
India has long accused Pakistan of harboring and supporting Islamist militant groups that operate in Kashmir and other Indian regions. Islamabad, however, rejects these allegations and counters that India supports separatist elements within Pakistan—an accusation India also denies.
Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT)
Lashkar-e-Taiba, meaning “Army of the Pure,” is headquartered in Pakistan’s populous Punjab province. The group has historically focused on opposing Indian administration in Kashmir and has been blamed for numerous attacks on Indian soil.
The United Nations Security Council notes that LeT has conducted “numerous terrorist operations” targeting both civilians and military personnel since 1993. One of the group’s most notorious attacks was the November 2008 Mumbai siege, which killed 166 people and drew global condemnation.
LeT’s founder, Hafiz Saeed, has denied any involvement in the Mumbai attacks. Nonetheless, the group has also been linked to earlier incidents, including the 2006 Mumbai train bombings and the 2001 assault on India’s parliament.
India claims one of its key targets in the recent strikes was Markaz Taiba in Muridke, near Lahore, a known training ground for the Mumbai attackers. The facility, reportedly spanning over 200 acres, is believed to serve as the headquarters of LeT-affiliated organizations.
Pakistan has insisted that LeT is now banned and dismantled. Hafiz Saeed, arrested in 2019, is currently serving a 31-year sentence after being convicted on multiple terrorism financing charges. Despite the official ban, critics argue that the group continues to operate under the guise of charitable organizations, maintaining significant influence across the region.
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Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM)
Also located in Punjab, Jaish-e-Mohammad, or “Army of the Prophet Mohammad,” was founded by Masood Azhar in 1999. His release from Indian custody was part of a prisoner exchange deal following the hijacking of an Indian Airlines flight to Kandahar, Afghanistan—a crisis that gripped the nation and highlighted the group’s emergence.
The United Nations Security Council links JeM to the 2001 Indian parliament attack, carried out in collaboration with LeT. Following that attack, Pakistan banned JeM in 2002.
The group has had documented ties to al Qaeda, led by Osama bin Laden, and the Taliban, according to the U.N. Security Council. Despite its official prohibition, JeM continues to be implicated in cross-border militancy and is considered a significant threat by Indian security agencies.
As tensions flare once again, the enduring presence and resilience of groups like LeT and JeM underscore the fragile nature of peace in South Asia. Their activities, rooted in ideology and geopolitics, remain a central challenge to regional stability.
