A rare public admission by Lashkar-e-Taiba operative Rizwan Hanif has confirmed that over 30 members of the terror outfit have been killed in Pakistan since 2020, allegedly by Indian intelligence agents.
His hate-filled speech, delivered in Pakistan and now circulating widely, underscores both the scale of losses suffered by LeT and the group’s continued use of sectarian rhetoric to radicalise audiences.
Rizwan Hanif, a senior Lashkar-e-Taiba figure, openly acknowledged that more than three dozen operatives linked to the banned organisation have been eliminated in recent years.
He claimed that Indian intelligence agents were responsible for the killings, which took place across multiple Pakistani cities including Peshawar, Karachi, Rawalpindi, Muzaffarabad, and Rawalakot.
This admission is significant because LeT leaders rarely concede such losses publicly, preferring to maintain an image of strength and resilience.
Hanif alleged that the killings were carried out through what he described as an “unknown gunman model,” a method that has been repeatedly observed in Pakistan since 2020.
Numerous high-profile terrorists have been assassinated in similar fashion, often in urban centres, fuelling speculation about covert operations. Pakistan has frequently accused India of orchestrating these eliminations, though New Delhi has consistently rejected such claims.
In his address, Hanif declared, “In the last four years, 30 of our people were killed by Indian intelligence agents—someone in Peshawar, someone in Karachi, someone in Rawalpindi, someone in Muzaffarabad, someone in Rawalakot.” He further alleged that operatives in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir had been unable to live in peace due to the campaign, insisting that their “only crime” was their religious belief.
The speech was marked by deeply offensive and inflammatory remarks against Hindus and Jews. Hanif mocked Hindu practices by naming deities such as Hanuman, Ghanshyam, and Hariram, and derided Jewish traditions by referring to calf worship.
He declared that as long as Muslims lived, they would never allow cows or calves to be worshipped. Such rhetoric highlights how terrorist organisations exploit religious sentiment to incite hatred, deepen sectarian divides, and radicalise vulnerable populations.
Observers note that Hanif’s remarks amount to one of the clearest admissions of LeT’s losses in recent years. The group has faced repeated setbacks, with senior commanders and mid-level operatives eliminated in targeted attacks.
Analysts suggest that these killings have disrupted LeT’s command structure, though the group continues to recruit and propagate extremist ideology. The admission also reflects growing panic within LeT’s ranks, as leaders struggle to explain the scale of attrition to their followers.
The video of Hanif’s speech has gone viral on social media, drawing attention from regional security analysts.
His comments have been interpreted as both a propaganda effort to rally supporters and a reluctant acknowledgement of the group’s vulnerability. The sectarian attacks embedded in his speech serve as a reminder of the toxic narratives used by extremist organisations to sustain their relevance.
For India, the admission is being closely scrutinised as evidence of the effectiveness of counter-terrorism measures.
However, officials caution that the elimination of operatives does not necessarily reduce the threat, as successor networks and ideological indoctrination can quickly fill the vacuum.
The broader implication is that Lashkar-e-Taiba, despite suffering losses, remains a dangerous actor capable of destabilising regional security.
Agencies
