ISI’s new Kashmir game: Threats to Pandits, propaganda to mask terror infiltration

New Delhi, Aug 28 (IANS) Foreign intelligence agencies and Pakistan-backed proxy groups escalated online propaganda campaigns and issued threat letters warning Kashmiri Pandits against returning to Kashmir to distract security forces while rebuilding underground terror networks, intelligence officials said on Friday.

The threat letters circulated by proxy outfits such as The Resistance Front (TRF) and the United Liberation Council (ULC) explicitly targeted Kashmiri Pandits, migrant workers, and local administration.

An Intelligence Bureau official said that at first, it appeared that the increase in such propaganda was directly linked to their frustration of failing to carry out major ground operations.

“However, this could well be a smoke screen and a time-buying exercise so that the entire terror network can be rebuilt in Jammu and Kashmir,” the IB official said.

In recent months, Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) has largely rebuilt its network, with nearly 1,000 terrorists reportedly waiting in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) to infiltrate Jammu and Kashmir. The ISI is planning to send these terrorists across the Line of Control and conceal them in dense forest areas before assigning them targets for attacks.

An official said that in addition to building up a huge army of terrorists across the Line of Control (LoC), the ISI has also managed to set up a new network of over ground workers (OWGs).

“The old guard was replaced as they had come under the radar of the Indian security agencies,” the official added.

Another official said the surge in online propaganda was aimed not only at buying time to resume operations but also at creating fear and panic in the Valley. This comes amid recent targeted killings, including the killing of a policeman and migrant workers.

“The ISI’s plan is multi-fold. It is a mix of everything that would eventually lead up to a major strike along the lines of the Pahalgam or Pulwama attacks,” the official said.

The recent threat messages issued by terror groups such as the ULC and TRF have called not only for the killing of Kashmiri Pandits but also for targeting migrant workers, destroying crops and setting homes on fire.

Officials say that these are instigating tactics. It would just require a bunch of youth to execute this. Further, the ISI also anticipates that by instigating the people, it could lead to the creation of lone actors, the official said.

The official said the idea is to keep the agencies engaged on multiple fronts. This does cause confusion and such intimidation tactics and propaganda campaigns keep the security agencies on their toes.

“The primary intention is to create such a diversion so that the infiltrations could take place and good number of terrorists could be stationed in the dense forests in the Valley,” the official added.

Currently the head count of terrorists is less. Post Operation Sindoor, the security forces have been on a state of high alert, which has made infiltrations highly difficult. The Pakistani spy agency is aware that once the terrorists manage to slip in and then enter the forests, it would be very hard to track them down.

The dense forests make combing operations tough. Moreover, the technology that terrorists use to communicate with their handlers is difficult to trace, further complicating matters.

All the ISI needs is one slip-up or lapse. The Pakistani spy agency could use it to its advantage to facilitate the infiltration of a few terrorists into the Valley, the official said.

“Security agencies need to remain on high alert as such propaganda campaigns intensify. It could well be a smokescreen designed to divert attention while the ISI plays its larger game in Jammu and Kashmir,” the official said.

— IANS

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