US report shows Pak as main base of terror groups
The US has identified Pakistan as a base of operations and/or target for numerous armed, non-state militant groups, some of which have existed since the 1980s.
A new US Congressional Research Service (CRS) report has again spotlighted Pakistan as a main base for a wide spectrum of terror organisations, from globally oriented groups including Al Qaeda to India-focused outfits such as Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), Harakat-ul Jihad Islami (HUJI), Harakat ul-Mujahidin (HUM) and Hizbul Mujahideen (HM).
The CRS “In Focus” report, updated on March 25, 2026, identifies Pakistan as a base of operations and a target location for numerous armed non-state militant groups, some of which have existed since the 1980s. The report underscores that outfits long associated with attacks in India remain active despite years of military operations and counter-terror measures.
The report notes that Pakistan continues to serve as an operational ground for numerous armed non-state actors, many active since the 1980s, broadly classified into five categories: global, Afghanistan-oriented, India and Kashmir-focused, domestic, and sectarian terror outfits (anti-Shia). Of the 15 outfits identified, 12 are designated as Foreign Terrorist Organisations (FTOs) under US law, with most driven by Islamist extremist ideology.
According to the CRS brief, Lashkar-e-Taiba (LET) was formed in the late 1980s in Pakistan and designated as an FTO in 2001. Led by now-incarcerated Hafiz Saeed and based in Pakistan’s Punjab province and in Pakistan-administered (Azad) Kashmir, it has changed its name to Jamaat-ud-Dawa to circumvent sanctions. With several thousand fighters, LET was responsible for the mass-scale 2008 terrorist assault on Mumbai, India, as well as several other high-profile attacks.
As per the brief, Jaish-e-Mohammed (JEM) was founded in 2000 by Kashmiri militant leader Masood Azhar and designated as an FTO in 2001. Along with LET, it was responsible for a 2001 attack on the Indian Parliament, among numerous others. Based in both Punjab and in Azad Kashmir, JEM’s roughly 500 armed supporters operate in India, Afghanistan, and Pakistan while seeking annexation of Indian-administered Kashmir into Pakistan. JEM has openly declared war on the United States.
The CRS noted that Harakat-ul Jihad Islami (HUJI) was formed in 1980 in Afghanistan to fight the Soviet army. After 1989, HUJI redirected its efforts toward India, although it did supply fighters to the Afghan Taliban, and it was designated as an FTO in 2010. With an unknown strength, HUJI operates in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and India, and seeks annexation of Indian-administered Kashmir into Pakistan.
It said Harakat ul-Mujahidin (HUM) was designated as an FTO in 1997 and operates mainly from Azad Kashmir and from some Pakistani cities. It was responsible for the 1999 hijacking of an Indian airliner that led to the release from an Indian prison of JEM’s future founder; most HUM cadres subsequently defected to that group.
Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) was formed in 1989 — reportedly as the militant wing of Pakistan’s largest Islamist political party — and designated as an FTO in 2017. It is one of the largest and oldest militant groups operating in Indian-administered Kashmir. HM’s cadre of up to 1,500 is composed primarily of ethnic Kashmiris who seek independence for Kashmir or annexation of Indian-administered Kashmir into Pakistan.
Despite facing severe domestic terrorism, Pakistan has struggled to dismantle these networks.
Terror-related fatalities, which had declined to 365 in 2019, have surged sharply in recent years, reaching 4,001 in 2025, the highest in over a decade.
The violence is largely concentrated in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, particularly along the Afghanistan border.
The report highlights that multiple military offensives and intelligence-based operations by Islamabad have failed to eliminate several US- and UN-designated terrorist groups operating within its borders. While Pakistan has taken “some steps” to curb terror activities, as noted in the US State Department’s Country Reports on Terrorism 2023, concerns remain over radicalisation, including teachings in certain madrassas that may foster extremist ideology.
Islamabad, meanwhile, continues to deny allegations of harbouring militant groups and has accused India of supporting insurgent activities in its western provinces, claims New Delhi has consistently rejected.
The CRS assessment also traces the presence of major global terror outfits such as Al Qaeda and Islamic State-Khorasan Province (ISKP), alongside regionally focused groups like the Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani Network, many of which have operated from or maintained links to Pakistani territory. Pakistan’s counterterror financing record has also drawn scrutiny in recent years.
The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) placed the country on its “gray list” in 2018 over deficiencies in tackling terror financing, before removing it in 2022 after Islamabad completed mandated reforms. The report underscores that, despite periodic crackdowns and international pressure, Pakistan remains one of the countries most affected by terrorism while simultaneously being a key hub for multiple militant organisations with regional and global reach.
