‘What is Brigade 313’? Question unsettles Pakistan Senator Sherry Rehman, she admits Islamabad’s links to terror

Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Vice President Sherry Rehman, who was earlier Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States, was visibly flustered when questioned on al-Qaeda-linked Brigade 313 and acknowledged Islamabad’s links to terrorism in the past while she dodged pointed questions.

“You keep on talking about the past because it was,” Rehman told Sky News journalist Yalda Hakim in response to questions on Pakistan’s record on harbouring extremist elements.

“We are fighting terrorism. Pakistan is a changed country now.”

In the interview, Hakim cited Terrorism Research and Analysis Consortium (TRAC) inputs and said Brigade 313 was a Pakistan-based terror outfit tied to al-Qaeda with members from the Taliban, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, and Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami.

“Brigade 313 is al-Qaeda in Pakistan. They are the leaders of a massive terrorist organisation that focuses on attacks in Kashmir,” Hakim said.

Rehman then took a confrontational stand and questioned whether Pakistan should be held responsible for repeated attacks in India, particularly those linked to groups like Brigade 313. “Am I going to war every time there is an attack in India,” she said.

“There are a hundred insurgencies running in India,” she added, and asked, “Are we responsible for what goes on there.”

Hakim then questioned whether the presence of individuals like Sajid Mir, one of the key plotters of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, in Pakistan, delayed its exit from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list until 2022.

Rehman responded, “You’re citing a long history of engaging with terrorism one way or the other, either fighting it or otherwise.”

When Hakim said that UN-designated terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) had confirmed that its top commander Masood Asghar and 10 family members were killed in Bahawalpur during the Operation Sindoor strikes, Rehman said, “Children are not leaders,” and then tried to dismiss the sources cited.

“Most of the analysts you’re quoting are aligned with India’s narrative. They only tell India’s story,” she argued.

What is Brigade 313?

Brigade 313 was formed in the early 2000s and reportedly took its name from the 313 companions who fought alongside Prophet Muhammad at the Battle of Badr.

The brigade is a hybrid coalition, drawing terrorists from Lashkar-e-Taiba, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami (HuJI), Jaish-e-Mohammed, and others. It operated under al-Qaeda’s umbrella and frequently collaborated with Pakistan’s Taliban factions.

The brigade was led by Ilyas Kashmiri, a former Pakistani army-trained fighter who became one of al-Qaeda’s most prominent commanders before being killed in a 2011 US drone strike.

It is often referred to as part of al-Qaeda’s Lashkar al-Zil (Shadow Army).

In her earlier interviews, Afghanistan-born journalist Yalda Hakim has grilled Pakistani ministers over Islamabad’s denials of supporting terrorism.

In an April 24 interview to her, Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif admitted to the country’s complicity in supporting terror groups in the past. He said, “We have been doing this dirty work for the United States for about three decades, and the West, including Britain.”

The video of Khawaja Asif’s interview had gone viral/

In a later interaction on May 7, Hakim challenged Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar. When Tarar denied the presence of terror camps in Pakistan, Hakim countered him by citing statements previously made by Pakistan’s own leaders, including Defence Minister Khawaja Asif.