LeT Restructures Top Command, Forms New Strategy To Boost Anti-India Network | Exclusive
LeT Restructures Top Command, Forms New Strategy To Boost Anti-India Network | Exclusive Reported By, Last Updated: July 03, 2026, 17:13 IST Sources told CNN-News18
LeT Restructures Top Command, Forms New Strategy To Boost Anti-India Network | Exclusive Reported By, Last Updated: July 03, 2026, 17:13 IST Sources told CNN-News18 that the outfit is expanding its operational footprint by using the Pakistan Markazi Muslim League (PMML) as a political front Rapid Read File photo of Lashkar-e-Taiba chief Hafiz Saeed (Image: PTI/File) Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) has undertaken a major organisational reshuffle, reassigning senior commanders and creating a new leadership structure as part of a renewed strategy to strengthen its anti-India terror network, according to top intelligence sources. Sources told CNN-News18 that the outfit is expanding its operational footprint by using the Pakistan Markazi Muslim League (PMML) as a political front while continuing to function openly in Pakistan despite repeated international scrutiny. The intelligence inputs suggest that LeT chief Hafiz Saeed continues to exercise complete control over the outfit’s strategic decisions, despite Pakistan’s claims that he remains under house arrest.
Senior LeT functionaries have reportedly described the house arrest as a mechanism to shield Pakistan from international pressure, particularly scrutiny by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), sources said. As part of the restructuring, LeT has shifted several senior commanders, including moving Imran Liaqat Bhatti, previously in charge of South Punjab, to Kasur district. Bhatti has also been tasked with strengthening cadre training at Markaz Yarmook in Pattoki, which intelligence agencies believe has emerged as the group’s primary first-stage training facility. According to sources, Bhatti will work alongside senior LeT operatives Saifullah Kasuri and Sajid Jutt to bolster the outfit’s regional operational capabilities. Intelligence agencies have also flagged the election of Rana Ashfaq as the provincial president of the Pakistan Markazi Muslim League in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a move they believe is part of LeT’s broader effort to deepen its political cover while expanding its organisational network.
Another senior commander, Hafiz Abdul Ghaffar Mansoor, has reportedly been shifted from Hazara to Mandi Bahauddin, while the outfit has simultaneously announced an entirely new organisational cabinet with appointments across Punjab and other key regions. According to intelligence sources, the newly constituted leadership includes appointments for Gujrat Division, Jhang, Mianwali, Gujranwala, Dera Ghazi Khan, Taunsa, Kasur, Pattoki, Okara, Toba Tek Singh, Mian Channu and Rajanpur, indicating a widespread reorganisation across Pakistan. Sources assess that the deployment of experienced operational commanders and the creation of a fresh leadership structure reflect LeT’s attempt to rebuild and institutionalise its anti-India infrastructure after recent setbacks. The restructuring, intelligence officials believe, is aimed at creating a long-term ecosystem for recruitment, financing, indoctrination and training while sustaining cross-border terror operations targeting India’s security forces and critical infrastructure. The continued functioning of LeT under the political umbrella of the Pakistan Markazi Muslim League, coupled with what intelligence agencies describe as apparent state patronage, raises fresh concerns over Pakistan’s commitment to dismantling terrorist infrastructure operating from its soil, sources added.
The BriefWire