A shocking viral admission by a Lashkar-e-Taiba militant has implicated Pakistan directly in the tragic 2025 Pahalgam attack that resulted in the deaths of 26 individuals. Revealing Islamabad’s involvement, a prominent Lashkar-e-Taiba leader, Abu Musa Kashmiri, released a video asserting that the Pahalgam incident enhanced Pakistan’s global reputation.
After the Pahalgam attack on April 22, Islamabad refuted any connection and dismissed India’s accusations as unfounded. Pakistani military authorities also contended that India failed to present any credible evidence to support what they labeled as baseless claims.
In a widely circulated video, Musa stated, “Pakistan’s international stature was enhanced after Bunyan-un-Marsoos… I am unsure if the Pahalgam attacks were justified… but the subsequent actions, in the form of Pakistan’s Bunyan-un-Marsoos in response to India’s unsuccessful Operation Sindoor, have propelled our nation forward by 50 years.”
However, these recent statements by the Lashkar commander seem to contradict the earlier denials and cast doubts on Pakistan’s involvement in the attack. These remarks surface amidst Pakistan’s facilitation of ceasefire discussions between the US and Iran to resolve the ongoing six-week conflict in the Gulf.
The militant further asserted that the attack provided Pakistan with an opportunity to position itself as a mediator between the US and Iran. In the early hours of May 7 last year, the Indian armed forces carried out strikes on nine terrorist bases across Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir. These strikes were both retaliatory and pre-emptive responses to the Pahalgam attack on April 22, which resulted in the deaths of 25 Hindu tourists and a local pony operator.
Officials described the operation, known as Operation Sindoor, as targeted, controlled, and designed to prevent escalation. The Indian Army released a video stating, “Justice is served,” confirming that the targets included sites associated with banned groups Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba.
One of the key targets was a significant mosque complex in Muridke, near Lahore in Pakistan’s Punjab province. The Masjid wa Markaz Taiba is considered the ideological and operational hub of Lashkar-e-Taiba. This 82-acre complex, often referred to as Pakistan’s “nursery of terror,” has been under Indian intelligence surveillance for its role in planning attacks against India.
Established in 2000 with purported financial backing from Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, amounting to Rs 10 million, the Markaz served as the headquarters for Hafiz Saeed’s terrorist organization. The Markaz has been linked to the training of militants involved in the 2008 Mumbai attacks, including Ajmal Kasab, who underwent intelligence operations training under Pakistan’s ISI, as per sources.
India justified the strike on Muridke as a response to the Pahalgam attack, which was claimed by The Resistance Front, associated with Lashkar-e-Taiba. By targeting the Markaz, India aimed to dismantle both the infrastructure and symbolic core of Lashkar-e-Taiba’s global terrorist activities, signaling its resolve to dismantle terrorist support systems.