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Most Notorious and Banned Terrorist in Pakistan

Most Notorious and Banned Terrorist in Pakistan

Introduction

The most notorious and internationally banned terrorist group leader in Pakistan is Maulana Masood Azhar, the founder and chief of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM).

JeM is a Pakistan-based Deobandi Islamist militant group, primarily active in Kashmir, and has been responsible for several high-profile attacks, including:

The 2001 Indian Parliament attack

The 2016 Pathankot airbase attack

The 2019 Pulwama suicide bombing, which killed 40 Indian security personnel.

Masood Azhar himself is a UN-designated global terrorist and has been banned by Pakistan, India, the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union, and the United Nations, among others.

Despite the ban, JeM continues to operate openly under various names and maintains several facilities in Pakistan.

Another infamous figure is Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, the founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), which orchestrated the 2008 Mumbai attacks.

Saeed and his organization are also banned internationally, but he has continued to operate under the guise of charity work through the Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) and other fronts.

ISI Support for Terrorist Groups

There is extensive evidence and widespread international consensus that Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) has provided support to major terrorist organizations, including Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).

JeM’s Creation and Ongoing Support

Multiple sources, including academic and intelligence reports, state that JeM was created with the support of the ISI, which continues to back the group by providing funding, training, and logistical support.

The ISI is said to have paraded Masood Azhar on a victory tour after his release in 1999 to raise funds for JeM.

LeT and ISI Nexus

The ISI has also been repeatedly implicated in supporting LeT, including in the planning and execution of attacks such as the 2008 Mumbai attacks.

Intelligence reports and investigations, such as those following the 2024 Pahalgam attack, have found operational links between ISI and LeT, with ISI operatives allegedly issuing directives and providing logistical support for attacks.

General Pattern of State Support

Pakistan’s military and ISI have provided systematic financial, logistical, and military assistance to anti-India terror outfits, including direct combat training and supervision at terrorist training camps.

These camps are often located near army installations or concealed within public institutions to evade scrutiny.

Conclusion

Maulana Masood Azhar of Jaish-e-Mohammed is the most notorious and banned terrorist in Pakistan, with a long record of deadly attacks.

There is substantial evidence that Pakistan’s ISI has supported JeM and other banned terrorist groups, such as LeT, providing them with funding, training, and operational assistance despite official denials and periodic bans.

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