15 major terror groups still have safe haven in Pak: US report

NEW DELHI: At a time when Pakistan has inserted itself in the West Asia frame and proposed to position itself as a mediator, the latest US congressional research service (CRS) report offers a sharp reality check. It says Pakistan remains a sanctuary for a wide array of terrorist groups despite decades of state-led military offensives and strategic policy shifts.Despite the 2014 National Action Plan’s mandate to dismantle all armed militias, 15 major groups continue to operate across five broad categories — globally oriented, Afghanistan-oriented, India- and Kashmir-oriented, domestically oriented, and sectarian, the report noted.Twelve of these 15 groups are designated as Foreign Terrorist Organisations (FTOs) under US law, with most animated by extremist ideology. The report underscores a fundamental failure in dismantling these networks, noting that both US- and UN-designated terrorist organisations continue to operate openly on Pakistani soil. Particular emphasis is placed on India-centric groups like Hizbul Mujahideen and Jaish-e-Muhammed, which maintain active cadres of 1,500 and 500 armed supporters, respectively.On the regional front, Pakistan remains a base for India-oriented groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba (responsible for the 2008 Mumbai attacks), Jaish and Hizbul, which seek the annexation of Kashmir.While Islamabad accuses India of backing militants in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa — charges India denies — US officials have conversely linked the Haqqani Network, led by Afghanistan’s interior minister Sirajuddin Haqqani, to Pakistan’s own intelligence services. Despite being removed from the FATF “grey list” in 2022, Pakistan remains designated by the US as a “Country of Particular Concern” for religious freedom, as some madrassas continue teaching doctrines which could lead to greater acceptance of extremist ideology. From the dormant anti-Shia Sipah-e-Sahaba to the active Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, and Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent, the sheer diversity of these outfits illustrates a multi-layered security challenge that neither airstrikes nor diplomatic maneuvers have been able to resolve, the report said.The reality is further punctuated by a spike in terrorism-linked deaths that reached 4,001 in 2025 — highest in 11 years. TTP remains the deadliest domestic threat, seeking Sharia law in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.