In the wake of the Indian Air Force’s precision strikes on May 7 — launched under Operation Sindoor in retaliation for the deadly Pahalgam attack — the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) has razed its own headquarters at Markaz Taiba in Muridke.
The deliberate demolition, which began on August 18, more than a month after the strikes, appears to be both a tactical response and an admission of vulnerability within militant ranks.
Sources report that the demolition was carried out with heavy machinery — at least five JCBs were seen dismantling key sections of the complex.
By August 20, parts of the Umm-ul-Qura building had already been pulled down, and the commander’s residence was demolished on September 4.
The operation, however, is not the end of the story: reconstruction work has already begun under the supervision of Markaz Taiba director Maulana Abu Zar and LeT chief trainer Yunus Shah Bukhari, also known as Ustad ul Mujahiddin.
Insiders say the aim is to rebuild the centre to its former scale well before February 5 — the date LeT observes annually as Kashmir Solidarity Day.
Reconstruction Backed by State Funds, According to Sources
According to those familiar with the matter, the Pakistani state has provided an initial assistance package of PKR 4 crore toward reconstruction. LeT’s own estimates, however, put the true cost of restoring Markaz Taiba — complete with training and residential facilities comparable to those before Operation Sindoor — at well over PKR 15 crore.
Fundraising Masked as Humanitarian Relief
Sources further claim that LeT has launched an active fundraising campaign to meet these costs, but under the benign cover of flood relief and humanitarian assistance.
Both offline donation drives and online appeals are reportedly being used to solicit funds, with cadres presenting themselves as relief workers.
Observers have documented staged photo-ops at flood camps, token distributions to communities, and simultaneous donation solicitations — a dual-purpose operation that officials allege is diverting charitable optics toward militant reconstruction.
Fear and Secrecy: The Psychological Fallout of Operation Sindoor
More telling than concrete figures is the psychological impact the strikes appear to have had on militants. According to sources, the attack has sown paralysing fear throughout networks that shelter in neighbouring Pakistan.
Fighters and commanders are said to be uprooting and relocating, changing safe houses frequently, and taking extreme measures to conceal their identities and movements. Many now keep themselves out of public view, rarely venturing outside, and treating newly established hideouts as highly guarded secrets.
This pervasive nervousness — the constant dread of when or where the next strike might fall — has forced militants to operate with palpable caution.
They are not merely shifting locations; they are hiding faces behind curtains, limiting exposure, and shrinking the footprint of their public activity to avoid detection. Sources say these men live in the shadow of the strikes, haunted by the prospect that another sortie could instantly reduce their bases and infrastructure to rubble.
A Calculated Response — And Continuing Concerns
While the demolition of Markaz Taiba may be read as an attempt to erase an obvious target, the simultaneous and covert reconstruction effort highlights the enduring threat that such organisations pose.
The mix of state-backed assistance, clandestine fundraising disguised as relief work, and a militant leadership bent on rapid rebuilding illustrates a troubling duality: on the surface, a fractured, fearful organisation; beneath, a concerted effort to reconstitute its operational base.
As reconstruction progresses, the cat-and-mouse game between security forces and militants looks set to continue — with the militants’ newfound caution underscoring both the disruptive effect of Operation Sindoor and the resilience of networks determined to recover.
The apprehension within these ranks — the fear of being struck again and the lengths they will go to conceal themselves — is now an unmistakable part of the aftermath.
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