Mystery surrounds the sudden hospitalisation of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) co-founder Amir Hamza on May 20. According to reports, the 66-year-old, who also serves as the editor of the group’s publications, sustained critical injuries at his residence and was subsequently admitted to a military hospital in Lahore under tight security provided by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).
The development comes just three days after Abu Saifullah, a senior LeT operative and prominent recruiter, was shot dead by unidentified assailants in Pakistan. The incident has sparked unease among pro-Lashkar circles on Telegram, where supporters urged each other to remain steadfast amid the “crisis,” while maintaining that Hamza’s injury was the result of an “accident.”
Hamza, a native of Gujranwala in Pakistan’s Punjab province, was designated a global terrorist by the United States in August 2012. A senior ideologue of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), he was known as an ‘Afghan Mujahideen’ veteran and maintained close ties with Hafiz Saeed and Abdul Rehman Makki—both UN-designated terrorists—who appointed him to the group’s central committee.
Before taking charge of Lashkar’s propaganda machinery, Hamza was directly involved in terrorist operations, particularly in India during the early 2000s. Alongside Abu Saifullah, he was linked to the 2005 attack on the Indian Institute of Science in Bengaluru. He was later withdrawn from frontline militant activities and placed in charge of the outfit’s propaganda wing, which he eventually came to lead.
“He also headed Lashkar’s publication division and authored several books, including Qafila Da’wat aur Shahadat (Caravan of Proselytizing and Martyrdom) and Shahrah-e-Bahisht (The Road to Paradise),” a source revealed.
In 2018, following a ban on Lashkar-e-Taiba and its front group Jamaat-ud-Dawah, Hafiz Saeed tasked Hamza with launching a new outfit, Jaish-e-Manqafa. The move sparked speculation about internal divisions within Lashkar’s leadership, though it was later seen as a strategic deception.
According to the US Treasury Department, Hamza, a member of LeT’s central advisory committee, played a key role in managing the group’s ties with other militant organisations, acting under the direct guidance of its chief, Hafiz Muhammad Saeed.
According to the website, Hamza has held multiple roles within Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and its affiliated entities. He headed an LeT-linked charity and served as both an officer and member of the university trust run by the group, which was overseen by Hafiz Saeed. As of mid-2010, his responsibilities included producing and disseminating propaganda for Lashkar. He served as the editor of the group’s weekly newspaper and regularly contributed articles to its publications.
The website further states that Hamza was one of three LeT operatives assigned to negotiate the release of detained members and also led the outfit’s “special campaigns” department.
