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Pakistan-sponsored terrorist groups, long accused of targeting civilians in Kashmir in the name of “jihad”, have now issued open threats against Kashmiri intellectuals who challenge Pakistan’s terror narrative at international platforms.

In a fresh escalation, Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), operating under its proxy name The Resistance Front (TRF), has issued a death threat against noted counter-terrorism expert Junaid Qureshi, Director of the European Foundation for South Asian Studies (EFSAS). The threat was delivered via an end-to-end encrypted messaging platform using the TRF banner.

Threat Message And Past Precedents

In the message, LeT branded Qureshi a “traitor” and stated that the group would have “no hesitation” in assassinating him. This is the second such threat in the past six months against individuals who have publicly exposed Pakistan’s proxy war in Kashmir.

Historical data highlights the seriousness of such threats. Between 1989 and 2020, Pakistan-backed terror outfits killed more than 5,000 Kashmiri civilians, journalists, politicians and intellectuals for opposing Pakistan-sponsored militancy. The assassination of Rising Kashmir editor Shujaat Bukhari in June 2018, following repeated threats by Hizbul Mujahideen, remains one of the most prominent cases. More recently, social activist Ghulam Rasool Magray was killed in Kupwara in April last year by alleged terrorists.

Qureshi Alleges ISI Role

Speaking to ABP News, Junaid Qureshi alleged that Pakistan’s intelligence agency, the ISI, orchestrated the threat and that it was executed through Lashkar-e-Taiba and its commander Sheikh Sajjad Gul.

Qureshi said the threat letter contained references to sensitive details about a proposed Kashmiri intellectual think tank that were not in the public domain and known only to a limited circle, indicating intelligence involvement. He added that the message explicitly referred to his efforts to dismantle Pakistan’s propaganda on Kashmir and present factual evidence at global forums—an agenda he said Pakistan’s security establishment views as a direct threat.

Background And Advocacy Work

Junaid Qureshi is the son of Hashim Quraishi, one of the hijackers of Air India flight IC-405 in 1971. However, he has consistently rejected his father’s ideology, publicly distancing himself from the hijacking and describing it as an act of terrorism that occurred before his birth.

Through EFSAS, Qureshi has documented and challenged Pakistan’s claim of a “freedom struggle” in Kashmir, presenting evidence that it is a state-sponsored terror campaign involving Lashkar-e-Taiba, Hizbul Mujahideen and Jaish-e-Mohammed, allegedly operating under ISI direction.

Intelligence Inputs On Threat Origin

Intelligence sources confirmed that the encrypted account used to issue the threat is operated from Rawalpindi and is allegedly controlled by LeT commander Sheikh Sajjad Gul. The account was created on August 24, 2025, under a pseudonym and is regularly used to circulate TRF propaganda, photographs and operational updates.

According to sources, this points to a Pakistan-based command-and-control structure behind the threat.

Wider Implications

The development has once again drawn attention to allegations that Pakistan continues to use intimidation and targeted threats to silence voices challenging its narrative on Kashmir, both within the region and internationally.