On May 7, 2025, India’s Operation Sindoor obliterated Lashkar-e-Taiba’s (LeT) Muridke headquarters near Lahore, targeting core buildings like cadre housing, weapons storage, and the Umm-ul-Qura training block.

Within five months, LeT—under direct supervision of senior commanders Maulana Abu Zar and Yunus Shah Bukhari—cleared the ruins and initiated large-scale reconstruction, razing remaining structures by September 7 and beginning full-scale rebuilding shortly after.

Pakistani authorities reportedly diverted at least PKR 4 crore from IMF-sanctioned flood relief for the rebuilding, while the total cost is projected to cross PKR 15 crore. LeT is additionally reviving fake "flood relief" campaigns to siphon off humanitarian aid, mirroring tactics from the 2005 earthquake relief scam.

Security analyst Gautam Mukherjee in an interview on NewsX media channel has criticised Pakistan’s dual policy. He points to overt ISI and army complicity—stating “the Pakistani army has created a Frankenstein… LeT’s only target is India.” He called for international attention, especially since funding is facilitated by global lenders under humanitarian pretexts and FATF grey-listing remains ineffective.

Multiple intelligence dossiers confirm state involvement, as the Pakistani army and ISI push the project toward a deadline coinciding with LeT’s Kashmir Solidarity Day in February 2026, risking another cycle of cross-border attacks.

Despite repeated global assurances, Islamabad’s actions show the state’s intent to sustain proxy operations against India. Analysts warn the Muridke rebuild is the first of many, foreshadowing renewed terror recruitment and operational capability on Pakistani soil.

Agencies