LeT Expands Underground Network Across Pakistan In Rapid New Push

Pakistan-based terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) is ramping up its presence in the country at an unprecedented pace. Headed by 26/11 Mumbai attacks mastermind Hafiz Saeed, LeT has set up dedicated organisations for students, young men and women, teachers, and labourers, according to a recent video featuring Saeed's son Talha.

Political Front And Social Penetration

LeT uses its political arm, the Pakistan Markazi Muslim League (PMML), as a front to avoid global scrutiny. To outsiders, its structure looks ambiguous as these organisations do not openly associate with PMML or LeT. Yet, senior LeT figures frequently appear at their events.

Most of these LeT outfits were floated in 2023, a review of their social media pages suggests.

NDTV reviewed social media pages of PMML and its affiliates -- Muslim Student League, Muslim Youth League, Muslim Women League, Muslim Girls League, and Muslim Kids -- revealing how LeT is building a network down to the grassroots level.

"LeT's growing footprint in Pakistan is a worrying trend for India. Their deeper reach means more recruits for terror attacks," says Dr Smruti Pattnaik, research fellow at the Delhi-based Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses.

The 26/11 terror attack on Mumbai was LeT's largest attack in India.

What Do These Offshoots Do?

LeT's expansion strategy combines political influence and ideological grooming. It runs welfare programmes like flood relief, Quran recitation, first-aid training, pollution awareness walks, and Islamic talks, creating a facade of social service while indoctrinating communities.

Its students and children wings operate at the city, college, and neighbourhood levels, ensuring a pipeline for future cadres.

Photo Credit: Children being imparted basic physical training at a farmhouse in Hyderabad, Pakistan in June 2022. Credit: Facebook/Muslim Kids Hyderabad

Recognised as LeT's political front, PMML is led by Talha Saeed, LeT's deputy emir, who serves as vice president on paper. Many PMML officials, including Talha, Saifullah Khalid, Hafiz Abdul Rauf, Faisal Nadeem, Fayyaz Ahmad, Muzmail Iqbal, Muhammad Harris Dar, and Qari Muhammad Yaqoob, are designated as terrorists by the US, India and other countries.

PMML contested Pakistan's 2024 general elections but failed to win seats. Its leaders coordinate the expansion of sister organisations.

Muslim Student League (MSL)

LeT's second-most influential wing, the MSL, operates in universities across Punjab, Sindh, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. MSL spreads LeT's Salafi jihadism ideology through sessions, often framed as intellectual enrichment, subtly weaving religious and nationalist narratives into the minds of young participants. Its activities include:

Ideological indoctrination via campus study circles and spiritual camps.

Social outreach through seminars on personality development, first-aid, and blood donation.

Mass appeal events like smog awareness marches and flood relief drives.

Photos suggest MSL is building a disciplined structure mirroring LeT's operational rigor.

Terrorists designated by the US and India often appear at events of the Muslim Students League, Pakistan, which doesn't publicly identify itself as a student wing of PMML.

Muslim Youth League

This outfit targets post-college youth through sports events, health camps, and informal gatherings, blending social engagement with Islamic messaging.

Muslim Kids

Launched in 2023, this wing works among schoolchildren below Class 5. It organises games, picnics, Quran recitation, and story sessions. It has even launched a book and mobile app to teach Islamic values in simple language.

Units of Muslim Kids is present in many cities of Punjab, Sindh, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces. They focus on building an emotional bond with school children through outdoor games, competitions, picnic camps, and free food.

Alarmingly, US-designated terrorists have addressed its events, focusing on religious indoctrination and "character-building". Last year, three US-designated terrorists -- Hafiz Abdul Rauf, Muhammad Haris Dar, and Muzmail Iqbal -- imparted training to minor children at an event in Lahore. While Rauf's session was focused on "invitation towards Allah", Iqbal and Dar addressed children on "challenge handling" and "time management".

Why This Expansion Matters

LeT's mission remains unchanged: integrate Kashmir into Pakistan and break India through jihad. The group has carried out around 250 terror attacks in India, killing over 1,000 people in states like Delhi, Maharashtra, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, and Jammu & Kashmir.

With strong ties to the Pakistani Army and a disciplined cadre, LeT's deeper social penetration could make it harder to dismantle, and more dangerous for India.