Deepening Strategic Alliance Between LeT and Hamas: How It Impacts India
Article by Dhruv Batra
A recent video had created a big stir in the Indian intelligence circles, prompting them to revisit the international linkages of the Islamic terror groups operating against Bharat. The undated video showed Naji Zaheer, a senior Hamas commander, as the chief guest at an event hosted by the Pakistan Markazi Muslim League (PMML), the political front of LeT, held in Gujranwala and attended by a Lashkar-e-Tayyba (LeT) top commander, Rashid Ali Sandhu. This meeting sent alarm bells ringing in the Indian intelligence community because when Naji Zaheer visited Rawalkot in PoK for an event called the ‘Kashmir Solidarity & Hamas Operation Al Aqsa Flood’ on 5th February 2025, it was followed by the Pahalgam attack.
More recently, another video has surfaced where Faisal Nadeem, a commander of PMML had confessed that he had met senior Hamas leader Khaled Mashal in Doha, Qatar, in 2024 while being accompanied by Saifullah Kasuri, the alleged mastermind of the Pahalgam terror attack. This provides direct evidence of coordination between terror networks operating in South Asia and the Middle East, and underscores an emerging alliance aimed at sharing logistics, propaganda strategies, and operational experience.
These international linkages are not new. In modern times, the origin of the Islamic terror outfits lies in the demand for Palestine. All terror outfits born out of that were organically connected. Terror outfits operating against Bharat (LeT, JeM, et al.) are no different, LeT being the most dangerous as their commanders are veterans of Afghanistan & Palestine. LeT links with Al Qaeda, Hamas and even the Houthis are well established.
As per recent reports, LeT is systematically expanding its covert water warfare capability by training divers and swimmers under fake water rescue fronts. Expensive speedboats and advanced scuba gear are being procured and used without any restrictions. The threat to Bharat now extends beyond land-based terror operations.
This alliance has prompted Israel to ask India to designate Hamas as a terror group, which can leverage India’s influence in South Asia to curb sympathisers in Bangladesh, the Maldives, and Nepal. But this will complicate India’s ties with the Gulf countries, although it will expose Pakistan’s global terror role while pushing for a broader international coalition.
Even though our very capable intelligence agencies must be gearing up for this renewed threat to our national security in light of the recent videos, we must ask ourselves this pertinent question: What more should be brought to light to expose Pakistan’s active role in international terrorism? It is a fact that neither JeM nor LeT can be ground to dust by Bharat alone. It would require a whole-hearted effort of the entire world. Case in point lies in the destruction of ISIS, which was brought about by a collective effort of about 50 countries, including the USA and even Russia. For starters, legal actions locally, as well as globally at FATF (Financial Action Task Force), should be implemented post-haste.
