‘Took revenge for 1971’: Hafiz Saeed’s terror outfit JuD claims credit for Sheikh Hasina’s ouster in Bangladesh

Senior leaders of the banned Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD), the Pakistan-based extremist outfit founded by 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks mastermind Hafiz Saeed, have claimed credit for the ouster of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in Bangladesh, saying that they took revenge for Pakistan’s dismemberment in 1971, and revealed that they played a role in the massive anti-government protests last year in Dhaka.

The provocative claims were made in public speeches earlier this week by JuD leaders Saifullah Kasuri and Muzammil Hashmi.

Hashmi is a UN-designated terrorist.

Speaking at a rally in Allahabad, near Rahim Yar Khan in Pakistan’s Punjab province, Kasuri invoked the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War, and called the 2024 unrest in Dhaka a “revenge” for it.

“I was four years old when Pakistan was dismembered in 1971. The then Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi had declared that she’d drowned the two-nation theory in Khaleej (Bay of Bengal). On May 10, l …we have taken the revenge of 1971,” Kasuri said while addressing supporters in Allahabad, about 400 km from Lahore.

Kasuri was referring to the 1971 Liberation War, in which Bangladesh (formerly East Pakistan) gained independence following Pakistan’s surrender to Indian soldiers and Bangladeshi freedom fighters.

In the speech, Kasuri also confirmed that the Jamaat-ud-Dawa/Laskar-e-Taiba headquarters in Pakistan’s Muridke were hit by Indian airstrikes under Operation Sindoor on May 7, and admitted that one of his associates, Mudassar, was “cut into pieces” in the attack.

“I was not allowed to attend his funeral. On the day of his funeral, I cried a lot,” Kasuri said, but did not reveal who did not let him attend the burial, though senior officers of the military, police, and civilian administration of Punjab province attended the funeral of Mudassar and two other JuD members as was revealed in several photographs in the media, underlining the terror outfit’s clout and backing by the Pakistani establishment.

‘We are preparing the next generation for jihad...We are not afraid of dying’

Referring to the April 22 attack in India’s Jammu and Kashmir, Kasuri said, “I was in my constituency meeting with the people when the Pahalgam incident took place. India made me the mastermind of this attack. India made my city, Kasur, popular in the world.”

He then menacingly said, “We are preparing the next generation for jihad...We are not afraid of dying.”

Meanwhile, speaking at an event in Gujranwala, about 80 km from Lahore, Muzammil Hashmi addressed Indian leadership, saying, “We defeated you in Bangladesh last year...”

Hashmi’s remarks referred to the ouster of Sheikh Hasina on August 5, which came after large-scale student-led anti-government protests.

Following her removal, Hasina fled to India, and three days later, Muhammad Yunus assumed charge as the Chief Adviser of the interim government in Bangladesh.

Consequently, diplomatic relations between Pakistan and Bangladesh have improved dramatically after Hasina’s departure.

These admissions by senior leaders of the terrorist groups expose Pakistan’s duplicity and again bring Islamabad under international scrutiny for its backing to extremist elements.

Former Pakistani diplomat Husain Haqqani remarked, “The rhetoric of Jihadi extremists at their public rallies makes it difficult for the rest of the world to believe official assertions that Pakistan is no longer sponsoring them.”