LeT Co-Founder Amir Hamza Shot in Lahore, Battling for Life

The US-designated global terrorist and Lashkar-e-Taiba founding member was gunned down outside a television channel office in Pakistan's Lahore — the second such attempt on his life in under a year.

Gunmen Strike in Broad Daylight

Amir Hamza, a founding member of Lashkar-e-Taiba, was shot by unidentified gunmen outside a news channel office in Lahore on Thursday. He was immediately rushed to a nearby hospital, where the condition of the 66-year-old is said to be critical. Pakistani authorities have launched an investigation, though no arrests had been made at the time of filing this report.

Second Attack in a Year

This is not the first time Hamza has found himself in a gunman's crosshairs. He was targeted in a similar shooting outside his residence in Lahore in May last year. Pakistani security agencies had reportedly tightened his security following that incident, yet Thursday's brazen daylight attack has once again exposed glaring lapses. The ISI and Lahore Police are yet to identify the attackers or establish any motive.

A Founding Hand Behind LeT

Hamza is one of the 17 individuals who established Lashkar-e-Taiba in 1987, co-founding the outfit alongside Hafiz Saeed and Abdul Rahman Makki. He is a veteran of the Afghan mujahideen and was once the editor of LeT's official publication. Over the years, he served on the organisation's Central Advisory Committee and was instrumental in forging ties with other extremist groups operating across South Asia.

Terror Links Traced to India

Hamza's profile extends well beyond Pakistan's borders. According to security agencies, he has been linked to multiple terrorist strikes on Indian soil, including the attack on the Army brigade headquarters in Sunjwan, Jammu. He also led a charity front organisation connected to LeT and served on the board of a university trust previously headed by Hafiz Saeed — entities widely regarded as vehicles for recruitment, propaganda, and terror financing.

America's Global Terrorist Tag

Washington has long flagged Hamza as a serious threat. The United States formally designated him a global terrorist in 2012, citing his role in LeT's fundraising, propaganda operations, and his deep links to the broader jihadist network across Afghanistan and South Asia. His connections to Hafiz Saeed and other sanctioned individuals have kept him firmly on the radar of international security agencies.

The Jaish-e-Manqafa Split

Around 2018, Lashkar-e-Taiba reportedly fractured following an acute shortage of funds. According to sources, Hamza distanced himself from the parent organisation and subsequently floated a new outfit named Jaish-e-Manqafa. The breakaway group is believed to have retained ideological links to the LeT ecosystem while operating independently — a development that Indian and international intelligence communities have been monitoring closely.

Pattern of Targeted Killings

The incident involving Hamza comes just days after another senior LeT figure, Razaullah Nizamani Khalid alias Abu Saifullah Khalid, was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in Sindh province. Khalid, who once headed LeT's operations from Nepal, was the mastermind of the 2006 RSS headquarters attack in Nagpur and was also linked to the 2005 terror attack on the Indian Institute of Science in Bengaluru. The back-to-back attacks on senior LeT figures have prompted speculation about a targeted campaign against the organisation's ageing leadership, though no group has claimed responsibility for either incident.

Pakistan's security establishment faces mounting pressure to explain how a US-designated global terrorist — wounded once, now shot again — continues to move freely through one of the country's major cities. As Amir Hamza fights for his life in a Lahore hospital, the identity and motive of his attackers remain unknown, leaving a trail of questions that authorities are yet to answer.