Pakistan Revives Kashmir Jihad Narrative: PMO Co-opts Religious Clerics for Anti-India Push

• Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif hosted religious clerics at PMO to revive the Kashmir jihad narrative, signaling a hardening regional stance.
• The move aims to co-opt religious leaders for an "information warfare" effort, using mosque sermons to disseminate anti-India messages.
• Hafiz Tahir Mahmood Ashrafi, linked to banned jihadist outfits like Jaish-e-Mohammad and Lashkar-e-Taiba, led the delegation.
• Sharif accused India and Afghanistan of funding TTP and Afghan Taliban to destabilize Pakistan, shifting blame for internal security failures.
• Intelligence sources view this as a desperate tactical shift to consolidate domestic support and outsource foreign policy to extremist elements.

Why It Matters: Pakistan's PMO is actively co-opting religious leaders to revive the Kashmir jihad narrative, deepening state-terror symbiosis.