Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LT), also known as the Army of the Righteous, is a militant organization that has gained notoriety for its activities primarily focused on the Kashmir region. Emerging in the early 1990s as the military wing of Markaz-ud-Dawa-wal-Irshad, a Pakistan-based Islamic fundamentalist missionary organization, LT has conducted numerous attacks against Indian troops and civilian targets in the disputed Jammu and Kashmir state, as well as inside India itsel
Designated as a terrorist organization by the United States and the United Nations, LT has been involved in several high-profile attacks, including the 2008 Mumbai attacks, which resulted in the deaths of over 160 people. Despite facing international pressure, the group continues to operate, with concerns over its potential for new attacks remaining high.
The Indian Government has accused LT of involvement in various terrorist activities, including the 2006 Mumbai train bombings and the 2010 bombing of a German bakery in Pune. LT maintains a significant presence in Pakistan, with training camps, schools, and medical clinics reportedly under its control.
The group’s charitable activities are coordinated through its front organization, Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD), which has been implicated in providing humanitarian relief during natural disasters, such as the 2005 Kashmir earthquake and the 2010 floods in Pakistan.
Efforts to combat LT and its affiliates have been complicated by their ability to recruit internationally and evade prosecution. Despite the Pakistani Government’s ban on LT and freezing of its assets in 2002, the group continues to pose a significant security threat, with its exact size and reach remaining unclear.
Lashkar-e-Tayyiba remains a formidable terrorist organization with a history of violence and a persistent threat to regional stability.
