More than four months after India’s Operation Sindoor that struck at the heart of terror deep inside Pakistan on May 7, a new terror outfit has been named in Pakistan. The outfit’s name, ‘Mountain Warriors of Kashmir’ (MWK), underlines the continuity of a policy by terror outfits and their patrons in the Pakistani establishment to assume nomenclatures that are suggestive of being rooted in Kashmiri nationalist and a seemingly secular ethos.
A September 11 press release by MWK says, “We, the Mountain Warriors of Kashmir, announce our entry into the battlefield... we pledge our lives in the fight against the continuing ingress of the occupation into our homeland, and clearly state that this fight will continue on until it reaches the only inevitable conclusion—Azaadi.”
The press release is signed by its spokesperson, Ahmad Hannan, who, going by the name, may or may not be a Kashmiri.
But who would definitely be a Kashmiri is Danish Bhat, who is shown as the spokesperson of the MWK in the same press release issued the next day on September 12. It is therefore highly likely that the name change is to allude to the ‘Kashmiri’ lineage of militants in MWK.
So instead of going by the badly-smeared names like Lashkar-e-Tayyaba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), or Hizbul Mujaheedin, the latest ploy by the terror outfits is to use a name that is easily recognisable and relatable, like the PAFF (People’s Anti-Fascist Front), TRF (The Resistance Front), KT (Kashmir Tigers), and the newly-formed MWK. In reality, the newly-named outfits are just proxies and a front of the older ones, with all things remaining same.
Citing the example of the TRF, a top source in India’s security establishment told THE WEEK: “Despite its cosmetic identity, TRF operates under the logistical, financial, and operational command of LeT. Its leadership, arms procurement, training modules, and safe houses are identical to LeT's infrastructure—most of it based in Pakistan-occupied territories and aided by Pakistan’s ISI.”
TRF, which is nothing but a repackaged version of the globally proscribed LeT, was birthed after the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu & Kashmir in August 2019.
The official explained that the reason for the name change is due to several reasons. “One is to avoid scrutiny by the inter-governmental FATF (Financial Action Task Force), evade international bans, confuse attribution and gain local sympathy, and portray terrorism as a grassroots movement rather than a foreign conspiracy.”
Meanwhile, the Pakistani government has provided Rs 4 crore Pakistani Rupees to the LeT to rebuild its headquarters Markaz Taiba in Muridke, that was razed to the ground in Indian Air Force strikes on May 7 under Operation Sindoor.
While the LeT cadres have been temporarily relocated to Markaz Aqsa (in Bahawalpur), from July onwards, their training and accommodation had been moved to Markaz Yarmouk (Patoki, Kasur district), under Abdul Rashid Mohsin, aide to LeT deputy chief Saifullah Kasuri.
The reconstruction is taking place under the combined watch of Maulana Abu Zar, director of the Markaz Taiba, LeT chief trainer Ustadul Mujahiddin and Yunus Shah Bukhari, commander (operational oversight).
According to Indian intelligence reports, the LeT is running against time to complete the building construction by February 5, 2026 (Kashmir Solidarity Day or Youm-e-yakjahatiKashmir), but reportedly suffers from a fund deficit as LeT’s internal estimate exceeds Rs 15 crore (in Pakistani Rupees).
