By Eric Vandenbroeck and co-workers

The Mastermind Behind the Recent Terror Attack in Pahalgam

Saifullah Kasuri, a top Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) commander and the alleged mastermind behind the recent terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, has reportedly been seen in Lahore, Pakistan, according to India Today.

Kasuri was spotted participating in an anti-India rally organized by the Pakistan Markazi Muslim League (PMML). Also present at the event was Talha Saeed, son of LeT founder and UN-designated terrorist Hafiz Saeed, the report claimed.

Kasuri is believed to have played a key role in planning the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, which the Indian government has linked to The Resistance Front (TRF), a known offshoot of LeT.

Videos circulating online allegedly show Kasuri chanting anti-India and jihadist slogans during the rally in Lahore. In the footage, he is also heard referring to terrorists killed in India’s Operation Sindoor as “martyrs.”

Rather than distancing themselves from extremist figures, the ministers personally welcomed the terrorists to the stage.

In an alarming display of Pakistan's growing alignment with extremist elements, senior ministers from both the federal and Punjab provincial governments were seen sharing the stage with some of the country’s most wanted terrorists during a recent event commemorating its nuclear tests.

The event, held on May 28 in Punjab to mark Youm-e-Takbeer, has triggered serious international concern. Pakistan’s Food Minister Malik Rasheed Ahmad Khan and Punjab Assembly Speaker Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan -- both close aides of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and PML-N leader Maryam Nawaz -- were seated alongside Lashkar-e-Taiba-linked figures, including Saifullah Kasuri, Talha Saeed (son of Hafiz Saeed), and Amir Hamza. The gathering saw open glorification of terrorism and inflammatory speeches targeting India.

Rather than distancing themselves from extremist figures, the ministers personally welcomed the terrorists to the stage, embracing them, applauding them, and delivering speeches glorifying their role in what they described as “defending Pakistan”.

Radical clerics and leaders from banned and controversial groups assembled under the umbrella of the Difa-e-Watan Council (DWC) -- an alliance known for hosting extremist ideologues -- to heap praise on the military's role in the aftermath of Operation Sindoor.

“I was accused of masterminding the Pahalgam attack. Now, my name is known across the world,” Kasuri reportedly said during his speech at the rally in Pakistan’s Punjab province.

Analysts warn that by allowing religious extremists to serve as mouthpieces for military operations, Pakistan risks further damaging its international image, alienating moderate voices, and entrenching violent ideologies within its borders.

In a concerning development that underscores the deepening nexus between Pakistan’s military and radical Islamist elements, a series of orchestrated gatherings across Pakistan have been held to glorify the Pakistan Army’s so-called "Operation Bunyan Marsoos" with extremist rhetoric flowing freely from the stage.

Radical clerics and leaders from banned and controversial groups assembled under the umbrella of the Difa-e-Watan Council (DWC) -- an alliance known for hosting extremist ideologues -- to heap praise on the military’s role in the aftermath of Operation Sindoor in Karachi on Tuesday evening.

Fatah missile system being displayed on Pakistan Day in Islamabad. Pakistan used Fattah-1 as part of Operation Bunyan Ul Marsoos.

Pakistan fired drones and missiles, including a Fattah-1 missile, at India in a pre-dawn strike on Saturday under what Pakistani media called Operation Bunyan al-Marsoos. The firing of the Fattah-1 ballistic missile came as Pakistan escalated the situation a day earlier targeting 26 locations in India with drones and missiles after India's Operation Sindoor.

"Pakistan has started 'Operation Bunyan-un-Marsoos'," reported Radio Pakistan.

Operation Bunyan al-Marsoos means "solid wall of lead".

It's variants are Bunyan Ul Marsoos, Bunyan-un-Marsoos and Bunyanun Marsoos.

Bunyan al-Marsoos is a verse from the Quran, the holy book of Muslims.

According to Al Jazeera, "Bunyan Marsoos is an Arabic phrase which directly translates into 'a structure made of lead'."

According to the Qatar-based Al Jazeera, the verse from Quran reads: "Truly Allah loves those who fight in His Cause in battle array, as if they were a solid cemented structure."

With the name, Pakistan likely wants to portray itself as an impregnable wall or structure fighting for a cause.

The massive escalation comes after India hit terror camps inside Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (POK) as part of Operation Sindoor after the April 22 Pahalgam terrorist attacks in which 26 civilians were killed.

Saifullah Kasuri, a top Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) commander

India attacked nine sites in Pakistan and POK as part of the aerial strikes on May 7.

Pakistan must have named its military misadventure -- Operation Bunyan al-Marsoos -- because it has been breached.

It was the first time since the 1971 War that India hit a target in Punjab province, deep in Pakistani territory. The terror camp in Pakistan's Punjab was 100km from the border.

The use of Quranic verse could also be part of the pattern of giving the attacks a religious tone.

At Pahalgam on April 22, Pakistani and Pakistan-trained terrorists asked the tourists to read kalma to identify the non-Muslims, and shot them dead from point-blank range in front of their family members.

The communal line in the attack also comes after the dog-whistling by General Asim Munir.

"Our forefathers believed that we were different from Hindus in every possible aspect of life. Our religion is different. Our customs are different... That was the foundation of the Two-Nation Theory," said General Munir on April 16.

This was perceived as a signal to the Pakistani terror assets, according to reports.

Pakistan has been targeting gurdwaras, convents and temples in India with drones and missiles since Operation Sindoor. While India targeted only terror camps, Pakistan has tried to hit civilian and military areas.

 

 

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