Key Facts

Pakistan-based terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) is reportedly training operatives in maritime attack techniques, including scuba diving and underwater operations, at Charna Island, a small rocky island about 50 km off Karachi near the Sindh-Balochistan coast, by disguising the activity as recreational scuba-diving and snorkelling tourism. The island, known for clear waters and coral reefs, is being used by a new LeT wing reportedly called the 'Dawa Marine Wing' or 'Sada-e-Hurriyat', with the training reportedly conducted by members of the Pakistan Markazi Muslim League under the supervision of senior LeT operatives. Intelligence sources suspect the training, located close to Karachi port, Pakistani naval facilities and major shipping lanes in the Arabian Sea, could be aimed at building capabilities for sea-borne infiltration or attacks on the lines of the 26 November 2008 Mumbai attacks.

GK Context

Lashkar-e-Taiba, a Pakistan-based terrorist organisation banned in India and designated a terrorist organisation by the United Nations and the United States, was responsible for the 2008 Mumbai attacks (26/11), which involved terrorists arriving by sea. India has since significantly strengthened coastal security through structures such as the Sagar Prahari Bal, the Indian Coast Guard's coastal surveillance network, and multi-agency coordination mechanisms, reflecting the enduring strategic concern over maritime routes being used for cross-border terrorism.