Lashkar terrorists seen at Shoaib Akhtar’s brother’s funeral! Who is Saifullah Kasuri?

The presence of several Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists at the funeral of Shahid Akhtar, brother of former Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Akhtar, in Islamabad has created a big controversy. Shahid Akhtar died on 24 June. His funeral witnessed the presence of many terrorist leaders, including Lashkar-e-Taiba deputy chief Saifullah Kasuri, after which the incident has attracted international attention.

In a video going viral on social media, several leaders of Lashkar-e-Taiba are seen attending the funeral organized at H-8 cemetery in Islamabad. The names of these leaders have been involved in many major terrorist attacks in India.

In which attacks have the names of these terrorists appeared?

Which includes 26/11 Mumbai attack and Pahalgam attack. Apart from Saifullah Kasuri, Pakistan Markazi Muslim League (PMML) President Inam-ur-Rehman was also present at the funeral. PMML is considered to be the political organization of Lashkar-e-Taiba.

UN-designated terrorist Hafiz Saeed had formed PMML to escape international and domestic sanctions imposed on banned organizations like Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) and Milli Muslim League (MML). PMML had also participated in the Pakistan elections of 2024.

What does it mean to participate in a public event?

Experts believe that the open presence of terrorists like Saifullah Kasuri in a public program once again strengthens the allegations of patronizing terrorism on Pakistan. This incident also shows how much influence the banned terrorist organizations have in Pakistan. Shoaib Akhtar retired from international cricket in the year 2011 and since then he has been associated with cricket commentary. He has also done commentary in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Who is Saifullah Kasuri?

Saifullah Kasuri’s public presence is considered a matter of concern for India. This deputy chief of Lashkar-e-Taiba is considered to be the mastermind of the Pahalgam terrorist attack that took place on 22 April 2025. 25 tourists were killed in this attack.

After the Pahalgam attack, India had taken steps like suspending the Indus Water Treaty and running Operation Vermillion. During this operation, India targeted many terrorist hideouts including the headquarters of Lashkar-e-Taiba in Muridke. Apart from this, action was also taken on many military bases from Rawalpindi to Sukkur.

It is said that after these attacks, Lashkar and other terrorist organizations had suffered huge losses. Since then, Saifullah Kasuri has been continuously giving provocative statements against India. He had also threatened another attack like 26/11 through sea route.

What threat did Saifullah give to India?

In a video that surfaced in February this year, Saifullah Kasuri was seen openly threatening India. He had said that no space would be left for the “enemy” on land, air and sea. Kasuri also accused India of “water terrorism”, which was linked to the suspension of the Indus Water Treaty. He had also threatened that the pressure in Kashmir would be responded to by spreading unrest in other areas.

In another video, Saifullah Kasuri had also allegedly given a statement regarding the relationship between Pakistan Army and terrorist organizations like Lashkar. In the video, he was heard saying that the Pakistan Army invites him to its programs and also calls him to conduct the last prayers of the soldiers.

In the video, Saifullah Kasuri was heard saying, “Pakistan army calls me to offer last namaz. Do you know that India is also afraid of me?” The recent statements of Saifullah Kasuri and other terrorists have come at a time when intelligence agencies have received information that after India’s action, terrorist organizations like Lashkar-e-Taiba are again trying to strengthen their network.