Hamas-LeT commanders meet in Pakistan, signalling deepening terror ties
Senior Hamas commander Naji Zaheer reportedly met LeT commander Rashid Ali Sandhu in Gujranwala during event organised by Lashkar’s political front
Pakistan has reportedly emerged as the venue for a meeting between commanders of Hamas and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), signalling renewed engagement between the Palestinian group and the Islamic terror outfit, according to media reports.
Senior Hamas commander Naji Zaheer is said to have met LeT commander Rashid Ali Sandhu in Gujranwala during an event organised by the Pakistan Markazi Muslim League (PMML), widely regarded as Lashkar’s political front. The meeting reportedly came to light after an undated video surfaced showing Zaheer and Sandhu sharing a stage.
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Available information suggests that Zaheer attended the PMML event in Gujranwala as the chief guest, while Sandhu, who is a Lashkar commander, operates publicly as a PMML leader as a cover.
The interaction points to expanding ties between the two US-designated terror organisations.
Visit before Pahalgam attack
Zaheer is the same Hamas leader who reportedly visited Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) in February 2025 along with other Hamas officials, just weeks before the Pahalgam terror attack.
During that visit, he is said to have addressed an anti-India joint rally alongside commanders of Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed.
His engagements in Pakistan date back further. In January 2024, Zaheer reportedly visited Karachi, where he addressed the media at the Karachi Press Club.
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In April 2024, he is said to have travelled to Islamabad, where he was felicitated by the Islamabad High Court Bar Association.
Meeting with JUI-F chief
Earlier, on October 14, 2023, just a week after the October 7 terror attack in southern Israel, Zaheer reportedly visited Pakistan and met Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman, chief of the country’s largest Islamist political party, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam.
On the same day, he is said to have addressed the Mufti Mahmood Conference in Peshawar, where Khaled Mashal participated via video link.
Subsequently, on October 29, 2023, Zaheer was reportedly present in Quetta, Balochistan, for the “Al-Aqsa Storm” conference.
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In November 2023, he again reportedly appeared alongside Mashal, who joined via video, at the “Toofan-e-Aqsa” conference in Karachi.