NEW DELHI: Sudden spurt in action by terrorists in the hinterland and along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir coincides with Lashkar-e-Taiba Chief Hafiz Saeed beginning so-called Kashmir Solidarity Rally from February 2 and designating 2018 as the year of Kashmir during a series of attacks actions are planned by the Pakistani military and its terror affiliates.
In the video released recently by the LeT, the 26/11 terror mastermind has vowed to assimilate Jammu and Kashmir in Pakistan. During the 10-day Kashmir Solidarity Rally across Pakistan, the LeT seeks funding from sympathisers as well as recruit gullible but motivated youth for terror agenda in Jammu and Kashmir, Intelligence sources said.
Intelligence officials also said the release of the video by LeT is also indicative of the setback it has suffered with the liquidation of over 200 jehadis in Kashmir during the last few months by the security forces.
The strong response by the security forces in the Valley as well as across the LoC, including the surgical strikes carried by the Indian Army has also rattled the Pakistani terror groups including the LeT which fear that their terror infrastructure in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (POK) is not safe.
“In order to offset the threat to the terror infrastructure, Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) has off late been articulating that the Indian security forces can also target the areas in POK where projects of CPEC (China Pakistan Economic Corridor) are being laid. ISI’s idea is to seek China to mount pressure on India not to carry out cross border actions against the terror bases in areas where the CPEC projects are underway. Once an Indian assurance to the effect comes, the Pakistani terrorist groups like LeT will shift their terror infrastructure including training camps in those areas to insulate themselves from action by the Indian security forces,” a senior Intelligence official said.
When relations between Pakistani political leadership and the army there was on good footing about a year and a half back, the LeT had received funds from the military to recruit people for action in Afghanistan in order to topple the government in Kabul. However, the LeT sent many of the recruits to Jammu and Kashmir most of whom have been killed by the Indian security forces. The Kashmir Solidarity Rally is aimed recruitment of youths for furthering the terror agenda in Jammu and Kashmir, the official said.
Two policemen were killed at a hospital in Srinagar on Tuesday by two terrorists who helped in the escape of a Pakistani terrorist and LeT cadre Mohammad Naveed Jat who was taken there for a routine medical check up. Pakistan has also upped the cross border violations post the surgical strikes by Indian Army in September 2016.