Lashkar-e-Taiba deputy chief Saifullah Kasuri, who planned the deadly Pahalgam attack that killed 26 innocent civilians, was spotted recently at a public rally in Lahore.
Organised by LeT's political wing Pakistan Markazi Muslim League (PMML), the anti-India rally celebrated the anniversary of Pakistan's nuclear tests.
Interestingly, the Lashkar terrorist, listed 32nd in India's most wanted list, was sharing stage with Punjab assembly speaker Malik Ahmad Khan and Talha Saeed, the son of LeT chief Hafiz Saaed.
Saifullah Kasuri, who also goes by the name Saifullah Khalid, allegedly coordinated with Lashkar proxy The Resistance Front (TRF) to carry out the attack in Pahalgam. Months before the deadly terror attack, Kasuri visited the Kanganpur army base in Punjab where he motivated Pakistani soldiers with his rousing speech.
TRF later claimed responsibility for the attack. Named in several global sanctions lists, Kasuri reportedly oversaw the TRF's terror activities in Kashmir. The Union home minsitry had declared TRF as terrorist group under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
He was the president of the Milli Muslim League in 2017 and was also part of the Jamaat-ud-Dawa coordination committee. Currently, Kasuri leads the LeT headquarters in Peshawar and oversee LeT's operation strategies.
Earlier, Kasuri claimed that Indian media "wrongfully" blamed him and Pakistan for the Pahalgam shocker. "India created drama as they were themselves behind the attack," he said.
On February 2, Kasuri, speaking in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, said, "I promise that today is 2 February 2025. We will try our best to capture Kashmir by 2 February 2026. In the coming days, our Mujahideen will intensify attacks. We hope that Kashmir will be free by 2 February 2026."