Will Change India's Map': JuD, LeT Leaders Resurface In Pakistan, Seek Army Support | Exclusive

Last Updated:January 26, 2026, 16:01 IST

Indian intelligence sources said the public resurfacing of JuD-LeT leaders is a calculated signal, aimed at maintaining jihadi relevance amid Pakistan’s deepening crisis

According to top officials, the renewed Kashmir-focused rhetoric is also intended to divert domestic anger within Pakistan and redirect attention toward India.

sindoorIn a development raising fresh security concerns for India, senior leaders linked to banned terror outfits Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) have openly issued threats against India from public platforms in Pakistan, declaring their intent to pursue “Kashmir jihad" and even alter India’s map. The statements, captured in exclusive videos accessed by CNN News18, point to a worrying re-emergence of jihadi groups operating freely under Pakistan’s current military-led dispensation.

At a public gathering in Rahim Yar Khan, Saifullah Kasuri, a top Lashkar commander, and professor Ataullah Ghilzai, a close aide of Hafiz Saeed and leader within Jamaat-ud-Dawa, were seen addressing supporters with incendiary rhetoric. The leaders not only issued direct threats against India but also openly called for cooperation with the Pakistan Army, underscoring what Indian intelligence agencies describe as a continuing overlap between Pakistan’s state institutions and proscribed terror entities.

“We are ready to change the Indian map. We can reach deep inside India," Ghilzai declared, while inviting Pakistan’s military and establishment to “sit with us" to protect what he termed the ideology of Pakistan. He further claimed that despite “conspiracies of infidels and enemies", Pakistan was progressing and would eventually reshape the region.

Kasuri, for his part, announced the political rebranding of jihadist networks, stating that Lashkar cadres were entering mainstream politics and would not be deterred by criticism. “We are entering politics and the world is afraid of us," he said, adding that madrasa students were prepared to carry out what he described as their “duties" in the jihad. He openly rejected the need for professionals like doctors or engineers, asserting that society instead required madrasa-trained Taliban-style fighters to enforce Shariah.

Indian intelligence sources told CNN-News18 that the public resurfacing of JuD-LeT leaders is a calculated signal, aimed at maintaining jihadi relevance amid Pakistan’s deepening political and economic crisis. According to top officials, the renewed Kashmir-focused rhetoric is also intended to divert domestic anger within Pakistan and redirect attention toward India.

Security agencies further assess that these statements come in the aftermath of Operation Sindoor, suggesting that Pakistan’s military leadership under General Asim Munir has once again allowed extremist groups space to regroup and issue threats as part of a familiar pressure strategy against India.

The open nature of the speeches, the call for army cooperation, and the absence of visible restraint from Pakistani authorities have raised alarms in New Delhi. Officials say the developments reinforce long-standing concerns that banned terror outfits continue to operate with impunity in Pakistan, now cloaking themselves in political language while retaining their core jihadist agenda.

Indian agencies are closely monitoring the situation, viewing the fresh threats as part of a broader attempt to resurrect Kashmir-centric militancy and internationalise tensions at a time when Pakistan is grappling with internal instability and regional pressures.

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