'Never met Osama': LeT leader Abdul Rehman Makki denies links with Al-Qaeda

Abdul Rehman Makki, the Lashkar-e-Taiba`s (LeT's) deputy chief on Thursday (January 19) denied any links with Al-Qaeda, days after he was added to the United Nations Security Council's (UNSC) list of designated terrorists. Releasing a video from the Kot Lakhpat Jail in Pakistan's Lahore, Makki said "I believe that the grounds for my listing are based on heresy and disinformation by the Indian government. I never met Osama Bin Laden, Ayman Al-Zawahiri or Abdullah Azam as alleged by some propaganda reports," news agency ANI reported.

He said that he denounced the views and actions of Al-Qaeda, adding that it was the opposite of what he believed in. "I believe in the principal position of the Pakistani government regarding Kashmir...," the LeT leader further said in the video on Thursday.

Makki is the cousin of the Mumbai terror attack mastermind and Jamat-ud-Dawa (JuD) Hafiz Saeed. Makki has been in jail since 2019 serving multiple sentences in terror finance cases along with Saeed and some other senior leaders of the LeT and JuD. On Monday, he was added to the UNSC's list of designated terrorists, and subjected to an assets freeze, travel ban and arms embargo.

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The Indian government had made listings of Pakistan-based terrorists a top priority of its UN tenure during 2021-22, ANI reported citing people familiar with developments. The government submitted five names under the 1267 committee last year which included Abdul Rehman Makki.

In a statement, the UN said, "On 16 January 2023, the Security Council Committee pursuant to resolutions 1267 (1999), 1989 (2011) and 2253 (2015) concerning ISIL (Da`esh), Al-Qaida, and associated individuals, groups, undertakings and entities approved the addition of the entry specified below to its ISIL (Da`esh) and Al-Qaida Sanctions List of individuals and entities subject to the assets freeze, travel ban and arms embargo set out in paragraph 1 of Security Council resolution 2610 (2021) and adopted under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations."

India and the United States already listed Makki as a terrorist under their respective domestic laws. He has been involved involved in raising funds, recruiting and radicalizing youth to violence and planning attacks in India, especially in Jammu and Kashmir, the report added. Reacting to the UNSC listing, Makki said "No due process was followed or information was provided regarding these listings."

(With inputs from agencies)

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