New Delhi, Sep 9 (IANS) Terrorists in Pakistan have been instructed by the Army to come out in the open and sing praises of Field Marshal Asim Munir. A recent statement by Talha Saeed, the son of Lashkar-e-Tayiba chief and founder Hafiz Saeed is an indicator that these terror groups are under pressure from the military to sing praises of Munir.

Talha Saeed, who has been designated a terrorist both by India and the United Nations, had called Munir as the “memoriser of the Holy Quran”. He even credited Munir for reviving faith, piety and jihad.

An official said that the statement aligns with the ideology of the Pakistani military leadership.

Talha Saeed’s statement was meant to justify the Pakistan military’s long-running confrontation with India, the official added.

An Intelligence Bureau official said that the intention was to align the ideology of the Pakistan military and the terror groups in the country.

Munir may have projected to the world that he is the “saviour of Pakistan”, however in reality, not all within the terror ranks, and more importantly the people, are in agreement with what the Pakistan Army chief is doing.

Another official said that Operation Sindoor was a major setback for Munir. His strength and leadership capabilities are being questioned by the people.

Although Munir is able to put down dissent among the people using brute strength, he has found it problematic dealing with the leadership of terror groups such as the Lashkar-e-Tayiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad, the official added.

Operation Sindoor led to the destruction of several terror camps and the infrastructure of these groups.

The Pakistan military and ISI was very generous to pump in funds to rebuild what had been destroyed. However, among the terror groups, especially the Jaish-e-Mohammad, the trust in the Pakistani establishment has eroded.

The terror outfit has questioned the military’s ability to protect them and this explains the stony silence when it comes to the Jaish-e-Mohammad.

While there are trust issues, the recruitments, too, have gone down considerably. The military felt that if it could get top leaders of these terror groups to sing praises of Munir, the scenario would change.

Officials say for the scenario to change for the military and its leadership, the Lashkar-e-Tayiba is its best bet.

This is the one group that has never revolted against the establishment and has always remained the most favoured and trusted proxy, the official said.

While Talha Saeed has openly sung praises of the military and Munir, one could expect more such statements by top leaders of terror groups in the days to come.

Officials say that the statement also comes at a time when there is an ongoing leadership crisis within the Lashkar-e-Tayiba.

Many do not want Hafiz Saeed at the helm as he is old and recruits find him to be outdated. Talha Saeed is the natural choice, but there is some dissent among the top leadership.

Coming out and praising Munir and the military also helps Talha Saeed’s cause of taking over the terror group as its new leader. He needs the complete support of the military and ISI for this to happen.

The same is the case with Jaish-e-Mohammad, which is also looking for a leadership change.

The military would use this factor and get leaders of the Jaish-e-Mohammad also to come out and praise the military and ensure that both the terror groups as well as the establishment are aligned when it comes to ideology, especially in the long-standing confrontation against India, an official said.

–IANS

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