Agencies flag renewed push to lure J&K locals into PoK, Pakistan

Indian intelligence agencies have flagged a renewed attempt by Pakistan’s ISI to lure people from Jammu and Kashmir into PoK and Pakistan using propaganda, money and false livelihood promises, reviving a tactic last seen widely during the 1990s insurgency

New Delhi: Indian agencies have noticed a disturbing trend whereby, people from Jammu and Kashmir have been trying to cross over into Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK) and Pakistan.

Officials say that the trend of people from Jammu and Kashmir crossing over into PoK and Pakistan was rampant in the 1990s.

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However, it appears to be back now and this has prompted the agencies to crack down on such elements.

Recently, the Poonch Police attached the property of a Pakistan-based terror handler Rafiq Nai. The police also undertook similar action against one Jamal Lone, also a handler. Both are accused of not just aiding infiltration, but also luring the people of Jammu and Kashmir to move into Pakistan and PoK.

Lone, according to the police, had exfiltrated into PoK and since then has been involved in anti-India activities. Officials say that Pakistan needs more locals from Jammu and Kashmir in PoK and Pakistan and hence is luring such persons.

These persons according to officials will be used for narcotics smuggling. They will also be used to help terrorists from Pakistan infiltrate into Jammu and Kashmir.

The ISI is looking for terror guides so that Pakistani terrorists can be launched into Jammu and Kashmir, the official also noted.

Intelligence agencies note that like the 1990s, there are announcements that are being made at mosques situated on the other side. Through these announcements, the people of Jammu and Kashmir are being lured to cross over.

They are promised money and a better livelihood. The scale of the problem is not as big as what it was in the 1990s, officials say. However, there is a desperate attempt being made to have more exfiltrations from Jammu and Kashmir, the official also added.

An Intelligence Bureau official noted that many who had crossed over in the past have regretted their decision later on, They realised that the grass is not as green as they would have hoped, on the other side.

Many had even reached out to the Indian agencies so that they could come back. India has facilitated such returns, following which, these persons have been kept in rehabilitation camps before they are pushed into the mainstream.

ISI propaganda drive

Officials say if not curtailed, the problem of exfiltration could turn serious. This time it is not just about the money or job security that the ISI would use to lure people into their region. The ISI has launched a massive propaganda drive to lure the youth.

Social media is the biggest culprit as it is an easy medium to start a disinformation campaign, the official also added.

Post the Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 people were killed, India responded with Operation Sindoor in which the Lashkar-e-Tayiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad lost a considerable amount of people and infrastructure.

Since then infiltrations into India have been extremely difficult. The ISI also changed its playbook whereby it decided that it would rely more on home-grown terror modules, instead of sending in its own people.

Attempts have been made to raise localised units for terror. Pakistan has planned not just local terror groups, but is also trying to set up more Over Ground Worker (OGW) modules also comprising women.

The push for exfiltrations out of Jammu and Kashmir is part of the same plan of having everything localised, an Intelligence Bureau official said.

In the past couple of months, the ISI has launched a major operation whereby it is trying to pull the locals out of Jammu and Kashmir. In addition to involving these people in narco-smuggling, counterfeiting, the ISI also wants them to act as terror guides.

The idea is to target more people from the immediate bordering areas as they would be well versed with the terrain. Such persons are ideal to become terror guides as they know the area very well and can help terrorists from Pakistan to infiltrate into Jammu and Kashmir.

Such activity has been noticed more at the Poonch-Rajouri sector, officials say. This was the same sector that the ISI targeted in the 1990s and is now attempting to do the same.

The agencies have launched a major crackdown on such elements who have crossed over into PoK and Pakistan and are luring more such persons to do so. The police have seized the properties of such elements and the action is expected to intensify in the days to come, another official added.