Abu Qatal, one of LeT's top officials, was murdered by unidentified gunmen on March 16, 2025.

Pakistan Tightens Security Around Hafiz Saeed After Assassination of Close Aide latest news: Pakistan has made new security arrangements around Hafiz Saeed, the mastermind of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks and LeT chief, after his close friend Abu Qatal was assassinated recently. The country's intelligence agency, ISI, has reviewed Saeed's security arrangements, according to sources, resulting in a decision to convert his house into a controlled detention center, that is, a sub-jail.

Saeed's security is now a source of increasing worry following a wave of attacks against his associates. Journalist Azaz Syed confirmed that Saeed had been the subject of several attempted assassinations previously and remains at risk. Sources indicate that the ISI has tracked the situation, particularly since the death of Qatal, closely and has established stricter security provisions to safeguard Saeed.

Abu Qatal, one of LeT's top officials, was murdered by unidentified gunmen on March 16, 2025. He was on India's wanted list for his suspected role in a series of fatal terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir. Qatal's assassination has further heightened the fear among other top LeT operatives, with Saeed now on the radar of international as well as domestic security agencies.

While Pakistan claims that Saeed is currently serving a term for terror funding, numerous reports indicate that he has been detained relatively infrequently in a regular prison. Instead, he has often been placed under house arrest in Lahore, where he has been allowed to move relatively unhindered despite having been designated as a global terrorist by both the United Nations and the United States.

The recent wave of targeted attacks on top LeT leaders has sounded alarm bells. On June 23, 2021, a car bomb went off close to Saeed's house in Lahore's Johar Town, killing three individuals and injuring more than 20. In 2023, two senior LeT commanders, Hanzla Adnan and Riyaz Ahmed alias Abu Qasim, were also killed in similar attacks. These attacks have sent LeT operatives into a panic, indicating increasing internal instability within the terror outfit.

Abdul Rehman Makki, LeT's second-in-command and prime mind behind the 26/11 attacks, was eliminated in December 2024. Saeed, for fear of his life being targeted, stayed away from attending the funeral of Makki, an action widely assumed to have been taken by way of precautions arranged by the ISI. The funeral procession was led by Saeed's son, with attendance by some well-known terrorists. The ISI's efforts to keep Saeed away from such activities highlight the extent of the threat he is under.

Intelligence sources have also indicated that a number of wanted terrorists from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) have been shifted to safe, undisclosed locations in Pakistan. This indicates a growing level of threat to major terror handlers in the country, as Pakistan finds it difficult to manage the rising instability associated with its militant outfits.

The recent developments provide a multifaceted scenario of Hafiz Saeed's life in Pakistan. As one of the world's most wanted terrorists, he still manages to stay away from serious incarceration while his safety is always the top concern of the Pakistani government.

With escalating attacks on senior LeT leaders and associates, it's obvious that the terror outfit's fate in Pakistan is headed towards an increasingly uncertain and dangerous route.

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