Intelligence agencies have warned that Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and the country’s military establishment are actively working to cultivate a new generation of terrorist leadership. According to officials, this effort involves substantial financial backing and the grooming of sons and close relatives of ageing militant commanders to ensure continuity of operations and influence.
Sources said a high-level meeting was recently convened in Bahawalpur, Pakistan, bringing together officials from the ISI and the Pakistani Army with senior figures from militant groups identified as part of this emerging leadership. The primary focus of the meeting, intelligence inputs suggest, was to plan fresh infiltration attempts into Jammu and Kashmir and to coordinate future terrorist strikes in the region.
Security agencies believe that Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed are increasingly working in tandem to execute coordinated attacks in Jammu and Kashmir. Intelligence reports indicate that senior Lashkar operatives Talha Saeed and Saifullah Kasuri, along with Jaish commander Abdur Rauf, were present in Bahawalpur during these discussions, underlining the growing operational alignment between the two outfits.
Further inputs suggest that Talha Saeed and Saifullah Kasuri also held a clandestine meeting with Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar in the same city. Officials note that similar interactions took place ahead of earlier attacks, strengthening concerns that the coordination between these groups is becoming more structured and deliberate.
Agencies say the ISI is gradually shifting its dependence away from older militant figures such as Hafiz Saeed and Masood Azhar, instead investing in their successors. This transition strategy is aimed at ensuring that terror networks remain active and resilient by creating a pipeline of younger leaders who can carry forward operations over the long term.
Talha Saeed, the son of Lashkar-e-Taiba founder Hafiz Saeed, is seen as a key figure in this transition. Intelligence sources claim he is being carefully groomed not only in extremist ideology but also in organisational leadership, financial management, and international networking, with the objective of revitalising Lashkar’s operational capabilities.
Similarly, Abdul Rauf Asgar, the brother of Masood Azhar, is reportedly receiving strong backing from the ISI. Officials say he is being prepared for a more prominent leadership role within Jaish-e-Mohammed, including responsibilities related to planning attacks, managing terror modules, and coordinating cross-border movements. He has been linked to several major attacks in the past.
According to security assessments, these groups are being strengthened through renewed funding channels, logistical support, and the establishment of secure hideouts. Analysts view this as a fresh phase of Pakistan’s long-running proxy strategy, designed to sustain terrorism through generational succession rather than short-term operations.
Intelligence agencies have also flagged the revival of Lashkar-e-Taiba’s headquarters at Markaz-e-Taiba in Muridke. They say the complex has become active again in recent months, supported by substantial funding from the Pakistani Army, ISI, and state-backed organisations.
Officials report that preparations are underway for a graduation ceremony at the Muridke facility later this month, marking the completion of training for a new batch of militants expected to be deployed in 2026. Before deployment, these recruits are reportedly undergoing both ideological indoctrination and military-style training.
Buildings damaged during Operation Sindoor are said to have been rebuilt with significant financial support, which intelligence officials interpret as a clear sign that terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan is being deliberately restored. Security agencies remain on high alert and continue to closely monitor developments at Muridke and along the border, wary of renewed infiltration attempts and escalating militant activity.
