Pakistani Senator Sherry Rehman Dodges Questions On Al-Qaeda-Linked Brigade 313 In Tense Interview

Pakistan People's Party (PPP) Senator Sherry Rehman courted controversy after she evaded direct questions about the secretive terror group, Brigade 313, during a recent Sky News interview with journalist Yalda Hakim.

The interaction has reignited global attention on the group's role in Pakistan and its ties to al-Qaeda, reported Firstpost.

Rehman repeatedly claimed, "Pakistan is a changed country," and dismissed questions as promoting "India's narrative."

When Hakim cited assessments from the Terrorism Research and Analysis Consortium (TRAC) linking Brigade 313 ("al-Qaeda in Pakistan") to attacks targeting India, Rehman questioned the sources' credibility, stating, "Most of the international analysts you are quoting are strongly aligned with India’s narrative. They tell only India’s story."

"Pakistan is a changed country now…we are fighting terrorism," she claimed while dismissing Pakistan's support for such terror entities.

Regarding Jaish-e-Mohammed's claim about Masood Azhar's family members killed in Operation Sindoor, Rehman said, "children are not leaders".

She further tried to deflect the question by pointing to India's internal insurgencies, saying, "There are 100 insurgencies running in India. Are we responsible for what goes on there? That’s what this amounts to…and how does this link to terrorist attack in Kashmir?"

She suggested constructing narratives was easy: "I don’t know who told you this, but I can produce any number of pages saying all this. Perhaps we should also produce a fact sheet and more than a fact sheet…a digital dossier."

Brigade 313, founded by Ilyas Kashmiri, a former Pakistani Army Special Services Group (SSG) commando turned al-Qaeda commander, and operating under al-Qaeda's "Shadow Army," has drawn operatives from various banned groups.

Despite Pakistan's official disavowal, analysts believe the group continues to function with Islamabad's tacit support, employing a "white-label" strategy to avoid scrutiny.