The Hamas-Pakistan Nexus: Examining Networks, Operations, and Strategic Convergence in South Asia
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Report
By: Dr Abhinav Pandya and Ruchika Sharma
After the Hamas-led October 7 attack on Israel, multiple sources have indicated Hamas' growing footprints in South Asia. The strong ties between Hamas and Pakistan-sponsored terror groups pose a serious challenge to the counter-terrorism efforts. Key Hamas leaders have frequently travelled to Pakistan after the October 7 massacre, where they have openly addressed public rallies and attended conferences in support of Palestine. Besides this, the Hamas leaders actively forged alliances with local terrorist groups and visited public and educational institutions to propagate and legitimise their extremist ideology.
This shows that the convergence of the terror groups from West Asia and South Asia is a critical development in the global terror landscape. So far, West Asia, South Asia and Africa have been the hotbeds of Islamist terror groups; however, the terror groups have primarily operated in a scattered and largely isolated manner. Though they have shared the extremist ideology driven by a flawed interpretation of Sharia, the operational and logistical connections between them have been sporadic only.
The expanding alliance between South and West Asian terror groups, especially after the October-7 attack, poses a significant challenge for counter-terrorism. Although such linkages have existed previously, the current partnership is becoming more institutionalized, spanning operational, ideological, and information domains.
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Disclaimer: This paper is the author's individual scholastic contribution and does not necessarily reflect the organization's viewpoint.
Author's Bio - Dr Abhinav Pandya is a Security and Foreign Expert. He is the CEO& Founder of Usanas Foundation.
Ruchika Sharma is the Research Associate at Usanas Foundation.
