SRINAGAR: Police on Saturday said two Pakistani-trained Kashmiri militants of Lashkar-e-Toiba, who had travelled to Pakistan on valid visa for obtaining arms training, were arrested after their return from Wagah-Attari border.
DIG of police north Kashmir, V K Birdi told New Indian Express that two LeT militants were arrested by police after returning from Pakistan via Wagah-Attari border.
He said the militants were arrested before they could formally join the militant ranks in Valley.
The arrested militants were identified as Abdul Majeed Bhat (Passport No R3981036) and Mohammad Ashraf Mir (Passport No N7084132), both hailing from north Kashmir’s Baramulla district.
Birdi said the militants had travelled to Pakistan on valid visa issued by Pakistan embassy in New Delhi.
“Both were under surveillance of police and they stayed in Pakistan for a month. One of the militants had visited Pakistan for the second time,” he said.
The DIG said investigation into the case is going on to ascertain whether some more youth from Kashmir have gone to Pakistan on valid visa to undergo arms training there.
Police said during questioning, the duo told interrogators that they had undergone militant training in Pakistan along with large number of Pakistani boys and most of them from Balochistan and as young as 10 years old.
“The militant camps are located near Burma Town, Islamabad in Pakistan and are being run by the militant commander operating under the code name of Hanzala Adanan and Omar. Other militants imparting training to young boys are operating with code names Osama, Naveed and Hataf,” a police spokesman said.
He said in last couple of years, police have unearthed several modules, who lure young boys to Pakistan to get trained and join militancy.
“In past, many such boys have been arrested and some of them killed in encounters,” the spokesman said.
He said on February 4, 2017 two militants namely Azharuddin alias Qazi and Sajad Ahmad alias Babar, both locals, were killed in an encounter. “The duo had gone to Pakistan on valid visa to obtain militant training and subsequently joined militancy here and got killed.”
“Another youth Suhaib Farooq Akhoon R/o Khanpora,Baramulla had also visited Pakistan in August last year and obtained arms training in Lashkar-e-Toiba camp and subsequently gone underground. He has joined militant ranks and is currently active,” the spokesman said.
He urged parents to keep watch on their wards.
“Parents should report to police the prolonged absence of their children from home so that lives of these boys can be saved,” the official said.