Pakistan People's Party (PPP) Vice President Sherry Rehman acknowledged that Islamabad's past is linked to terrorism while she dodged questions on al-Qaeda-linked Brigade 313.
"You keep on talking about the past because it was," she told Sky News journalist Yalda Hakim in response to questions on Pakistan's record on harbouring extremist elements. "We are fighting terrorism. Pakistan is a changed country now."
Ms Hakim, citing inputs from the Terrorism Research and Analysis Consortium (TRAC), said Brigade 313 was a Pakistan-based terror outfit tied to al-Qaeda with members from groups such as the Taliban, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, and Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami. "Brigade 313 is al-Qaeda in Pakistan," she said, referencing TRAC.
"They are the leaders of a massive terrorist organisation that focuses on attacks in Kashmir," Ms Hakim said, adding the group was known to be a "hub for terrorism."
She confronted Ms Hakim about the group, questioning her whether Pakistan should be held responsible for repeated attacks in India, particularly those linked to groups like Brigade 313. "Am I going to war every time there is an attack in India?" Ms Rehman visibly deflected. She added, "There are a hundred insurgencies running in India. Are we responsible for what goes on there?"
The conversation also touched on Pakistan's inclusion on the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list until 2022. Ms Hakim questioned whether individuals like Sajid Mir, one of the key plotters of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, played a role in delaying Pakistan's exit.
Ms Rehman responded, "You're citing a long history of engaging with terrorism one way or the other, either fighting it or otherwise."
'Pakistan is fighting very hard to clean its terrorist record'
— Sky News (@SkyNews) June 9, 2025
Vice President of the Pakistan People's Party Senator Sherry Rehman tells @SkyYaldaHakim 'Pakistan is a changed country', even though they were taken off the grey list in 2022https://t.co/1GOylJEIzn pic.twitter.com/Y7ei3Wbo9h
What Is Brigade 313?
Formed in the early 2000s, Brigade 313 reportedly took its name from the 313 companions who fought alongside Prophet Muhammad at the Battle of Badr. It was led by Ilyas Kashmiri, a former Pakistani army-trained fighter who became one of al-Qaeda's most prominent commanders before his death in a 2011 US drone strike.
The brigade is a hybrid coalition, drawing terrorists from Lashkar-e-Taiba, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami (HuJI), Jaish-e-Mohammed, and others. It operated under al-Qaeda's umbrella and frequently collaborated with Pakistan's Taliban factions.
Authors describe it as one of al-Qaeda's most "dangerous and effective" formations in South Asia, staging high-profile actions such as assassinations of senior Pakistani officials, bombings across Pakistan, and plots connected to the Kashmir insurgency.
Brigade 313 is often described as part of al-Qaeda's Lashkar al-Zil (the "Shadow Army"), and has been accused of carrying out high-profile terror attacks, including bombings, assassinations, and plots aimed at Kashmir.
Earlier, Pakistan's Defence Minister, Khawaja Asif, admitted to the country's complicity in supporting terror groups in the past. He said, "We have been doing this dirty work for the United States for about three decades, and the West, including Britain."
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