Pakistan steps up Hafiz Saeed's security fearing Indian covert strike after Pahalgam attack: Report

After the Pahalgam terror attack, Pakistan has intensified security for LeT chief Hafiz Saeed, fearing an Indian covert operation. Former SSG commandos guard him, as threats also emerge from the Lawrence Bishnoi gang.

Pakistan: In the wake of the deadly Pahalgam terror attack, Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and government is saif to have heightened security for Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed, fearing a potential Indian covert operation, according to a Times of India report quoting sources.

Former commandos from Pakistan’s elite Special Service Group (SSG) have reportedly been deployed for Saeed's personal protection. Security is said to have been been increased at his known residences, including the one located in Mohalla Johar, Lahore. Saeed is currently shown as imprisoned, with his residence converted into a temporary sub-jail. However, as per intelligence, quoted in the report, suggests that he continues to operate with a considerable degree of freedom.

A special control room has reportedly been established to monitor all movements around his location using advanced surveillance tools, including gesture detection CCTV cameras, covering a one-kilometre radius.

The 77-year-old Saeed, founder of LeT and wanted by both India and the United States for his role in the 2008 Mumbai attacks and the recent Pahalgam killings, has made over two dozen public appearances in the last three years. He was last seen in February this year, surrounded by multi-layered security.

Lawrence Bishnoi gang issues threat after Pahalgam attack

In a new twist, the Lawrence Bishnoi syndicate has also issued a threat, claiming it will avenge the Pahalgam killings. Bishnoi, in a social media post, attached an image of Saeed and threatened to target a high-value individual in Pakistan.

The report further noted that Saeed, under various aliases and backed by the ISI, continues to be active in terror operations. He is said to have been seen at launch pads in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and at camps in Muridke, Bahawalpur, and Rawalkot.

Following the revocation of Article 370 by India, Saeed rebranded Lashkar-e-Taiba as The Resistance Front (TRF) in 2020, in an attempt to give cross-border terrorism a localised facade.

The increased security around Saeed highlights the nervousness within Pakistan’s security establishment over potential retaliatory action from India after the Pahalgam attack.