Pakistan Still Sheltering Terrorist Groups Targeting India, Warns US Report

Pakistan continues to shelter a range of terrorist organisations on its soil, including groups that target India and Kashmir, a Congressional Research Service report has found. The report highlighted that despite years of military operations and policy measures, the terrorist groups "continue to operate on Pakistani soil".

The Congressional Research Service said that several of the India-focused groups remain active. Lashkar-e-Taiba, responsible for the 2008 Mumbai attacks, and Jaish-e-Mohammed, linked to the 2001 attack on the Indian Parliament, continue to operate from Pakistani territory.

The report said that Pakistan is being used for both as a base and as a target for these terrorist groups.

Pakistan has faced a sharp rise in terrorism in recent years. After five consecutive years of declining fatalities that fell to 365 in 2019, the number of terrorism-related deaths has increased annually, "spiking to 4,001 in 2025, the highest toll in 11 years".

According to the report, Pakistan is the country "most impacted by terrorism", reflecting a resurgence of militancy following the Taliban's return to power in Afghanistan in 2021.

Moreover, the research arm of the US Congress also found that most of the terrorist groups are "animated by Islamist extremist ideology".

These groups fall into five broad categories: globally oriented, Afghanistan-oriented, India- and Kashmir-oriented, domestically focused, and sectarian outfits, it said.

Al Qaeda is one such group that continues to operate in the region even though its "core has been seriously degraded" and maintains alliances with other extremist organisations.

The Islamic State's regional affiliate, Islamic State-Khorasan Province, has an estimated "4,000-6,000 fighters" and operates across Afghanistan and Pakistan, drawing from former members of other extremist groups.

Domestically, Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan is described as "the deadliest terrorist group operating in Pakistan", with an estimated 2,500-5,000 fighters and a stated aim to overthrow the Pakistani state and impose Sharia law.

CRS is an independent research arm of the US Congress that prepares periodic reports on various issues to help members of Congress make informed decisions. Its reports are not considered official positions of the Congress.