lashkar-e-tayyiba: listed terrorist organisation

Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LeT) is a Pakistan-based Sunni Islamist terrorist organization founded in 1989 with the goal of bringing Indian-administered Kashmir under Pakistani control and ultimately establishing an Islamic caliphate across the Indian subcontinent. Though banned multiple times in Pakistan, the group continues operating under numerous aliases, most notably its charitable front Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD), which is used to raise funds, recruit members, and maintain public legitimacy.

LeT rejects democracy and openly promotes armed jihad. It has carried out major terrorist attacks in India and Afghanistan, including the 2008 Mumbai attacks, and maintains ties with groups such as the Taliban, al-Qaeda, and the Haqqani Network. Despite arrests and frozen assets, the group still operates training camps, maintains thousands of fighters, and receives funding from donors across South Asia, the Gulf, and Europe.

LeT’s leadership includes founder Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, operations commander Zaki ur Rehman Lakhvi, and others who continue to direct activity despite arrests for terrorism financing. The organization remains active, listed as a terrorist entity by the UN, U.S., U.K., Canada, and Australia, and has been re-listed repeatedly due to ongoing attacks, recruitment, and financing efforts. While it does not directly target Australia, Australians have been killed in its attacks, and LeT-linked operatives have previously plotted terrorism inside Australia.