Shehbaz Sharif's confidante among those with Pahalgam attack mastermind, Hafiz Saeed's son. Saifullah Kasuri says THIS

On Thursday, several ministers of Pakistan's federal and Punjab governments were spotted sharing the stage with commanders of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) during an event named Youm-e-Takbeer to commemorate its nuclear tests. The event came as India continues to name and shame Pakistan on the international stage for being a haven for terrorists. 

Among those spotted at the event were the confidantes of Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz -- Pakistan’s Food Minister Malik Rasheed Ahmad Khan and Punjab Assembly Speaker Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan. They were seen sharing the stage with Pahalgam attack mastermind Saifullah Kasuri and US-designated terrorist Hafiz Saeed's son Talha Saeed. 

During the event, Kasuri said that he became famous after the Pahalgam attack that claimed the lives of 26 people, including a Nepali citizen. In a 24-minute-long speech, he proudly said: "I was blamed for Pahalgam and now the whole world knows my name." 

He began his address by thanking individual ministers by name. 

As per India Today, the Pahalgam mastermind's public appearance only confirms that Pakistan's ISI has been sheltering him in Bahawalpur. With photos and videos from the event going viral, experts believe this is "visual proof of Pakistan's unholy alliance with terror outfits." 

Shehbaz's confidante Malik Rasheed declared that "24 crore Pakistanis are today represented by men like Hafiz Saeed and Saifullah Kasuri". He further said that the Sharif government would offer a job to the brother of a Lashkar commander killed in India's strike on the LeT's headquarters in Muridke. 

Meanwhile, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor slammed Pakistan for its backing of terrorists. He said that the funeral of one of the terrorists on the sanctions list was attended by uniformed senior military and police personnel from Pakistan. 

"That is the extent of complicity that we are seeing between the terrorists who perpetrate crimes of this nature and those who finance, guide, train, arm and equip them and do provide them safe haven to continue their training and their other awful deeds," Tharoor said.