NEW DELHI: Intelligence agencies have flagged a renewed and intensified recruitment campaign by Pakistan-based terrorist organisation Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), aimed at establishing new training camps in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), sources told TNIE on Sunday.
According to intelligence inputs, the drive is being spearheaded by senior LeT commander Nasr Javed, who has toured several strategic locations in PoK over the past few months to mobilise local youth.
Sources said Javed visited multiple areas, including Mirpur, Kotli and Poonch in PoK, over the past two weeks as part of the campaign.
During these visits, he addressed more than four open rallies organised by the PoK unit of Lashkar-e-Taiba and held over 10 closed-door meetings with local operatives and sympathisers.
The primary objective of these engagements, intelligence sources said, is to recruit young men for newly planned Lashkar training camps that are expected to become operational soon.
Javed is considered a key operational figure within LeT and is known for his expertise in terrorist training, the sources said, adding that he previously ran the outfit’s notorious “Dulai” training camp between 2004 and 2015, a facility linked to the preparation of multiple cadres. They said Javed has now been tasked with raising a new unit in PoK, with a specific mandate to prepare recruits for counter-insurgency and cross-border operations.
Noting that the recruitment push is not confined to PoK alone, intelligence sources said that in November 2025, Javed, along with LeT operative Abdul Rauf, conducted more than 50 rallies and secret meetings across Pakistan’s Sindh province. This followed Javed’s visit to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) in December 2025.
“Security agencies assess that these coordinated visits across provinces point to an effort to build a broader pool of recruits and revive LeT’s operational strength nationwide,” a source said.
Meanwhile, renewed activity has also been reported in Muridke, Punjab, long considered the ideological and operational hub of Lashkar-e-Taiba.
Intelligence inputs suggest efforts to reactivate Markaz-e-Taiba, the group’s headquarters, are gathering pace. Buildings damaged during Operation Sindoor are being repaired and restored, with photos and videos of construction activity circulating on social media, the sources said.
They believe the reconstruction work is being funded with significant support from Pakistan’s Army and the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).
Recent footage on social media shows fresh painting and repair work underway on boundary walls and other infrastructure inside the complex, indicating large-scale preparations to strengthen the group’s facilities.
According to intelligence agencies, a special ceremony is scheduled to be held soon at the Markaz-e-Taiba compound for terrorists from the 2026 training batch. These cadres are said to have already undergone ideological indoctrination and military training ahead of potential deployment.
Indian security officials view these developments as part of Pakistan’s long-standing policy of providing covert support and protection to terrorist organisations, despite sustained international pressure. The renewed activity comes amid recent drone-based infiltration attempts, which were successfully foiled by the Indian Army and the Border Security Force.
Authorities within the country’s security grid said all movement along the India-Pakistan border is being closely monitored, with forces on high alert to pre-empt and neutralise any potential terror threat.
