The Lashkar-e-Taiba is once again in the news after intelligence sources said the Pakistan-based group was behind the Poonch terror attack on Thursday. The often-banned organisation, which has taken on many names from time to time, has had a compulsion to carry out so-called jihad in Kashmir.
Lashkar sources in Lahore, South Punjab and Rawalpindi told CNN-News18 that this compulsion stemmed from nothing but personal gains for their leadership. From capturing film halls in Lahore to extortion and forcing people to pay more zakat in the name of religion to training youth for fighting in Kashmir, the Pakistan-based group’s agenda is to be the only one relevant. It wants to create a parallel army in Pakistan for its own gains and extort money from Pakistani generals as non-state actors, the sources added.
Lashkar had gone off the radar after the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) ordered it to fight alongside the Taliban in the Afghan War. Sources said the Poonch attack ahead of the high-profile G20 meeting in Jammu and Kashmir was a show of power from Lashkar even as a crisis was brewing on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
Even if Pakistan’s version is accepted that it had no role to play in the attack, as the country is under pressure from Saudi Arabia and UAE as well as their own domestic financial issues, these groups are not operating on their own. The question remains as to how such groups can operate from the border without state approval.
Managing finance and blackmailing Pakistan government
The Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) has taken on many names: MDI, LeT, JuD, AAT, FiF, but all these were banned whenever Pakistan was facing pressure from the international community. As of 2018, their last registered organisation, Falah-i-Insaniat Foundation (FiF), was also banned. Public fundraising was a major part of their money operations to run such a large network. As Pakistan is fighting for funding from the international community, and are under pressure from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) to control terror funding, it is only right for the organisation to blackmail its founders.
A show of power
After entering the Afghan War to fight alongside the Taliban on orders from the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), the LeT had gone dark. Their presence in the terrorism market was becoming limited. As the condition on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border worsens and a new war looms in the future, the group is showing its strength by sabotaging such a conference as big as the G20.
Change of face
After the arrest of leader Hafiz Saeed, the organisation has faced some mishandling and a fight for a takeover between Saeed’s son and son-in-law. It is time to show a new face for their Mujahideen to follow and also for new blood to take charge. Khalid bin Waleed, aka Khalid Naik, has been trying for the last seven years to take charge of the group and it seems he has succeeded in his efforts. So to show the world and the terror market, he needed to do something extraordinary.
Launch of new political party
On March 18, the LeT relaunched its political party with a new name – Pakistan Markazi Muslim League (PMML). They have tried their best to collect funds from financiers and the public but it seems their first month was not too good and they needed to do something impressive.
Taking charge of Kashmir with new PoK prime minister
With the change of prime minister in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), the charge of violence has been handed over to a reborn LeT instead of the JeM. The timing of such a big change in the PoK assembly is too shaky, especially so before the G20 summit.
Portfolio addition for Pakistan-Afghanistan war
At a time when the Pak-Afghan border is under so much stress, the ISI will need the local mujahideen to work side by side with them. The Pakistani Taliban are obviously not in their group anymore and the LeT goes after money and the ISI; hence, they had to show that they can do what the Taliban can do and launching such an attack was just an addition to their portfolio.
Retaliation against operation in Kacha
The groups in Kacha area of Punjab and Sindh in Pakistan work in partnership with the LeT, as they give them targets and receive a part of the ransom. Due to the operation of Pakistani forces in the Kacha area, Lashkar is going to get out of business. So the group cannot rely on this alone and it is now time to retaliate as Pakistan cannot afford such terror attacks.
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