A senior commander of the UN-designated terrorist organization Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) has claimed that the group played a significant role in the ousting of Sheikh Hasina’s government during the political upheaval in Bangladesh in July-August 2024. The remarks, made by top LeT leader Muzammil Hashmi during a recent speech in Gujranwala, Pakistan, have sparked serious concern and debate across political and security circles in Bangladesh.
In a video that has gone viral on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Hashmi declared, “Pakistan never forgives its enemies. Modi, know this well — it was us who defeated you in Bangladesh last year. We’re the ones who brought your downfall there.”
The statement has reignited discussions about foreign involvement in the 2024 student-led uprising in Bangladesh, which the former Awami League government had previously described as being influenced by extremist forces and foreign conspiracies. During the uprising, numerous people were killed — some allegedly by sniper fire — in what were then suspected to be third-party orchestrated attacks.
The resurfacing of Hashmi’s claim lends weight to the former government’s allegations of jihadist influence behind the violent protests that culminated in the fall of the Hasina administration. It also raises new questions about the broader geopolitical stakes in Bangladesh’s internal politics.
Security expert and former intelligence officer Aminul Haque stated, “This claim by Lashkar-e-Taiba confirms suspicions that the group carried out planned militant attacks to ensure the collapse of the Hasina government. The targeted killings, destruction of key infrastructure, and brutal police executions reflect clear patterns of foreign-backed operations.”
The viral post, originally shared by Bangladeshi journalist Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury, also noted, “As LeT is funded by the CIA and Pakistani intelligence, it is no surprise that Washington is backing the post-jihadist coup regime in Dhaka.”
(Link to the post)
When approached for comment, the media wing of the Bangladesh Police declined to provide any official statement.
The revelations have triggered widespread alarm among civil society, with analysts warning that such admissions from designated terrorist groups pose a direct threat to Bangladesh’s national sovereignty and stability. Calls are growing for an international investigation into the events of 2024 and the potential role of transnational jihadist networks.