Some leaders from Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD), the banned organization led by Hafiz Saeed, mastermind of the Mumbai attacks, have claimed responsibility for the significant protests in Bangladesh last year that led to the then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's fall from power.
Notably, JuD's Saifullah Kasuri and Muzammil Hashmi, designated as a terrorist by the United Nations, made these claims earlier this week. They cited the events of the 1971 Liberation War in Bangladesh, portraying them as a chance for retribution.
According to a news agency, Kasuri addressed supporters in the Allahabad region of Rahim Yar Khan, stating, 'When I was four, Pakistan was divided. Indira Gandhi, India's then Prime Minister, claimed to have drowned the two-nation theory in the Bay of Bengal. But on May 10, we avenged 1971.'
He also acknowledged that a fellow JuD member, Mudassir, died during an Indian airstrike at Muridke (JuD/LeT headquarters) on May 7. He stated, 'I wasn't allowed to attend his funeral. I cried a lot that day.'
Surprisingly, top military, police, and civil officials from Pakistan's Punjab province attended the funerals of Mudassir and two other JuD militants in front of cameras.
Kasuri said, “During the Pahalgam attack, I was meeting my constituency's residents. Yet India accused me of masterminding it. Now, my city, Kasur, is famous worldwide. We are preparing the next generation for jihad. We have no fear of dying.”
Meanwhile, Muzammil Hashmi addressed the Indian leadership at a gathering in Gujranwala, stating, “Last year in Bangladesh, we defeated you.”
Hashmi referred to the protests on August 5, which resulted in Sheikh Hasina's removal from power. According to reports, Hasina relocated to India and, three days later, Muhammad Yunus was appointed chief adviser to the interim government.
Following Hasina's ousting, relations between Pakistan and Bangladesh have significantly improved. Former Pakistani diplomat Hussain Haqqani responded to these claims, emphasizing that such public statements by jihadist extremists make it difficult for the world to believe that Pakistan no longer sponsors or supports these forces.
