Pak's Punjab Speaker backs Saifullah Kasuri, a key Lashkar terrorist involved in Pahalgam attack
In a video circulating on social media, Malik Ahmed Khan defended Kasuri during a rally, dismissing allegations against him by insisting he should not be treated as an accused "without an investigation."
Earlier, on May 28, Khan was seen seated in the front row at a public programme in Kasur, Punjab, alongside Saifullah Khalid — considered a mastermind of the Pahalgam attack — and Talha Saeed, son of UN-sanctioned terrorist Hafiz Saeed and de facto head of LeT. Both Khalid and Talha are listed as global terrorists, with Khalid being officially designated by the US.
The rally, organised by the Pakistan Markazi Muslim League (PMML) to mark Youm-e-Takbeer, also featured senior leaders, including food minister Malik Rasheed Ahmad Khan and close associates of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and PML-N leader Maryam Nawaz. The LeT-linked figures, including Saeed, Kasuri, and Amir Hamza, were seen prominently seated and interacting with political leaders.
In the video shared on X, Malik Ahmed Khan also mentioned his personal ties to Kasur — the town where the rally took place — further deepening the controversy. The presence of top LeT operatives at the rally attracted attention from foreign policy observers, especially after some of them boasted publicly about having avenged Pakistan's 1971 defeat to India.
US-designated terrorists Saifullah Kasuri and Muzammil Hashmi claimed credit for their involvement in a so-called "coup" in Bangladesh while addressing supporters at rallies held last week.
"We emerged victorious against you in Bangladesh last year," they declared.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi became the target of their vitriol during a rally organised by the Lashkar-e-Taiba's political front, the Pakistan Markazi Muslim League (PMML), in Gujranwala on May 28. Hashmi was heard proclaiming:
'Tum hamein apni goli se darate ho, Modi hum tujhe paigham dete hain, humare bachche teri missailon se nahi dare, hum teri goli se kya darenge.' (You try to scare us with your bullets, Modi, but we send you a message — our children are not afraid of your missiles, why would we fear your bullets?)
At another rally in Rahim Yar Khan, Kasuri drew historical parallels with the 1971 Bangladesh war, claiming that his outfit had avenged Pakistan's defeat.
"I was four years old when Pakistan was dismembered in 1971. The then Indian PM Indira Gandhi had declared that she had drowned the two-nation theory in the khaleej (Bay of Bengal). On May 10, we took the revenge of 1971," he told supporters.
Kasuri also spoke of the Indian airstrikes on Muridke that killed fellow terrorist Mudassar, expressing emotional pain over being prevented from attending his funeral.
"I was not allowed to attend his funeral. On the day of his funeral, I cried a lot," he said.
Several Pakistani ministers were seen at the same events, where they shared the stage with LeT operatives. They were seen greeting and interacting with them at the rally in Kasur.
Kasuri, believed to be the key planner behind the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, made a surprise appearance at the PMML gathering. The Indian government has linked the attack to LeT's proxy outfit, The Resistance Front (TRF).
While addressing the crowd, Kasuri not only raised anti-India slogans but also referred to slain terrorists killed in India's Operation Sindoor as 'martyrs.'
"India labelled me the mastermind of the Pahalgam terror attack while I was busy taking part in events and people's happiness here...They took the name 'Kasur', 'Kasuri', so many times that now the entire world knows me as famous," he said at the rally.
HT.com could not independently verify the authenticity of these videos. Reports suggest Kasuri has been given refuge by Pakistan's intelligence agency, the ISI, in Bahawalpur.
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