A Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT)-linked operative has claimed that more than 30 members of the Pakistan-based terror outfit have been killed over the past three to four years, in what appears to be one of the group's most direct public acknowledgements of its recent losses. The statement was made by Rizwan Hanif in a video believed to have been recorded in May that has now surfaced on social media. In the speech, he alleged that Indian intelligence agencies were responsible for the killings through what he described as an "unknown gunman model".
Addressing supporters, Hanif claimed that LeT operatives had been targeted in several cities across Pakistan, including Peshawar, Karachi, Rawalpindi, Muzaffarabad and Rawalakot.
"Over the past three to four years, more than 30 of our people have been killed by Indian intelligence agents," Hanif said.
His remarks represent a rare public admission by a Lashkar-linked figure that the outfit has suffered repeated losses in recent years. Several individuals linked to terrorist organisations have been shot dead by unidentified gunmen across Pakistan over the past few years, leading to speculation about those responsible. Pakistan has repeatedly accused India of carrying out targeted killings on its soil, allegations that New Delhi has consistently denied.
In his speech, Hanif alleged that LeT operatives had been unable to live peacefully in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir because of the alleged campaign.
"Indian intelligence agencies have not allowed our people to live in peace and tranquillity in Kashmir. Through their agents, they have martyred our people," he claimed.
HATE SPEECH DURING ADDRESS
During the address, Hanif also made several inflammatory and derogatory remarks targeting followers of other religions while referring to the deaths of Lashkar-e-Taiba operatives. He claimed that members of the outfit were being targeted because of their faith and alleged that their "only crime" was their religious belief.
He went on to make offensive comments about Hindus and Jews, using derogatory language while contrasting their religious practices with Islam. Hanif also directed hateful remarks at followers of other faiths before concluding by asserting the supremacy of Allah and stating that neither the United States nor Israel was supreme.
HOW LASHKAR-E-TAIBA WAS FORMED
Lashkar-e-Taiba was established in Pakistan in the late 1980s by Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, Zafar Iqbal and Abdullah Azzam as the militant wing of Markaz-ud-Dawa-wal-Irshad, an Islamist organisation founded during the Soviet-Afghan War. After the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan, the group's focus shifted to Jammu and Kashmir.
India, the United States, the United Nations and several other countries have designated Lashkar-e-Taiba as a terrorist organisation. India and multiple Western governments have long alleged that the group has received support from Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).
