Sydney: Pakistan's emergence as a potential new hub for Hamas activity has come under renewed spotlight after viral videos surfaced showing a senior Hamas figure sharing a stage with operatives of the banned terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) at a public gathering in Punjab province.
According to reports, the individual seen in the footage has been identified as senior Hamas commander Naji Zaheer, who attended the event organised by the Pakistan Markazi Muslim League (PMML), a political outfit widely regarded by security analysts as a front for LeT.
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"The appearance has raised concerns among counter-terrorism experts... There has been no public confirmation or denial from the Pakistani government or military regarding the event so far. Photographs and videos circulated online show the Hamas and LeT-linked figures addressing a crowd together. Analysts note that such associations have implications for regional and global security realities," The Australia Today reported.
"In addition to formal speeches, social media clips circulating online appear to show crowds raising religious slogans during the event. These include chants of 'Nara-e-Takbeer… Allahu Akbar' (translated as "The slogan of greatness… God is the Greatest") and "Filistiniyon se rishta kya… La ilaha illallah" (translated as "What is our relationship with the Palestinians? There is no God but Allah")," it added while asserting that such slogans are not uncommon amongst Islamist terrorists.
Last year, several reports highlighted Hamas's growing presence in Pakistan. Hamas's special representative in Pakistan, Naji Zaheer, has been invited to rallies and conferences as a guest of honour and shared the stage with US-designated Pakistani terrorist groups Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).
Analysts have opined that while the international community is focusing on demilitarising Hamas in Gaza, it cannot ignore how Pakistan is emerging as the new fertile ground for the terrorist group to rejuvenate.
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Earlier this week, a report in Athens-based Geopolitico detailed that Pakistani terrorist groups are exploiting the situation in Gaza to raise funds for reconstructing terror infrastructure and recruiting new cadres for their activities against India.
It added that the Pakistani state agencies have identified gaps in the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), a global money laundering and terrorist financing watchdog, following Islamabad's last greylisting and have since altered their modus operandi of terror financing.
"A dangerous trend is emerging in Pakistan as United Nations-designated terrorist outfits such as Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) are raising money for nefarious activities on the pretext of Gaza relief aid. More importantly, the direct involvement of JeM Chief Masood Azhar's family members has been noted in fresh terror financing and funding efforts," the Geopolitico report stated.
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"To avoid international backlash from terror watchdogs like the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), these outfits have changed their modus operandi to attract donations and funding from within Pakistan and Gulf countries. They are now collecting funds directly into their wallets rather than into bank accounts to avoid FATF scrutiny," it added.
According to the report, the Israel-Hamas war, which erupted after the brutal Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, provided a convenient cover for Pakistan-based terror outfits to step up their funding efforts.
Citing reports, Geopolitico said, "Azhar's son, Hammad Azhar, and brother Talha al-Saif are spearheading the campaign to raise money for terror activities through Gaza aid. IANS