Indian security agencies are on heightened alert after fresh intelligence indicated that Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), led by Hafiz Saeed, is seeking to open a new front against India from Bangladeshi soil.

A recent video featuring senior commander Saifullah Saif has surfaced, revealing that LeT operatives are already active in Bangladesh and preparing for what the group claims will be retaliatory strikes linked to India’s Operation Sindoor.

The video, recorded during a rally in Khairpur Tamewali, Pakistan, on 30 October, shows Saif declaring that Hafiz Saeed “is not sitting idle” and intends to strike India “through East Pakistan,” a term still used by sections of Pakistan’s radical networks to describe Bangladesh.

This open statement, made before a crowd that reportedly included several children, highlights continued radicalisation efforts within Pakistani extremist circles.

Sources cited by intelligence reports suggest that Hafiz Saeed has dispatched a close aide to Bangladesh to recruit and indoctrinate local youth under the guise of “jihad”. These recruits are believed to be undergoing initial training at covert facilities in remote border regions. The objective, analysts believe, is to create a logistical and operational corridor linking LeT’s Pakistani bases to India’s eastern frontier.

Officials familiar with the matter have confirmed a significant reinforcement of surveillance all along the India–Bangladesh border. The Border Security Force (BSF) and Intelligence Bureau have been tasked with monitoring suspected infiltration routes, financial networks, and cross-border movements that may aid LeT activities.

Saif’s speech also included inflammatory remarks praising the Pakistani Army and hinting at changing geopolitical dynamics. He alleged that “America is with us” and that “Bangladesh is again coming closer to Pakistan.” Officials dismiss these claims as psychological propaganda designed to boost morale among LeT supporters and encourage new recruitment drives.

Security analysts interpret the renewed LeT interest in Bangladesh as a strategic adaptation following mounting Indian counter-terror measures along the western borders. The eastern theatre presents a less fortified landscape with historical cultural linkages that extremist recruiters might exploit to embed sleeper cells.

Equally alarming is the revelation of the increasing presence of minors at extremist gatherings, signalling an attempt to inculcate militant ideology from a young age. Saif’s rally, where children were visibly present, indicates how deeply indoctrination has been built into the group’s mobilisation strategy.

Parallel to Lashkar’s manoeuvres, another Pakistan-based terror outfit, Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), is expanding its operational base. Reports from The Times of India indicate that JeM has formed a women’s wing named Jamaat-ul-Mominaat, led by Sadiya Azhar, the sister of its chief Masood Azhar. The wing reportedly includes a dedicated Fedayeen unit, trained for suicide missions.

JeM’s media arm, Al-Qalam, is actively promoting the new entity through Telegram channels and pamphlets distributed across Bahawalpur and Karachi.

Intelligence findings reveal that the group is targeting widows of slain terrorists and financially distressed women for recruitment. The campaign began on 8 October at Markaz Usman-o-Ali in Bahawalpur, less than six months after India’s Operation Sindoor destroyed several JeM facilities in southern Punjab.

Indian intelligence officials report that JeM has shifted much of its training network from Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region to evade Indian surveillance. This geographic shift, coupled with the inclusion of women in operational planning, is seen as a major tactical evolution intended to make detection harder and lethal operations more unpredictable.

According to intelligence assessments, both LeT and JeM appear to be recalibrating in response to the sustained dismantling of their infrastructure under Indian precision strikes.

The coordinated spread of radical cells in Bangladesh, the recruitment of women combatants, and the involvement of juveniles point towards a broader strategy by Pakistan-based terrorist organisations to sustain anti-India operations through less monitored theatres.

Counter-terrorism specialists warn that these developments require immediate regional cooperation. Enhanced liaison between Indian and Bangladeshi agencies, alongside proactive surveillance of online radicalisation channels, has been identified as critical to neutralise the renewed terrorist push backed by Hafiz Saeed and Masood Azhar’s networks.

IDN (With Agency Inputs)