ISI using ISKP-Lashkar combine, eyes attacks in Jammu and Kashmir
Intelligence inputs suggest Pakistan’s ISI has brought ISKP and Lashkar together under the pretext of fighting the TTP, with plans to infiltrate Jammu and Kashmir and target tourist hubs, prompting heightened security and combing operations by the Indian Army
New Delhi: Pakistan’s ISI brought together the Islamic State-Khorasan Province (ISKP) and Lashkar-e-Taiba to wage a battle in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) – against the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which has become the country’s worst security nightmare till date.
However, the situation on the ground looks very different.
The ISKP-Lashkar combine appears to be doing very little work, and the strikes are all being carried out by the Pakistan Air Force (PAF). Under the pretext of fighting the TTP, the PAF has carried out strikes that have claimed the lives of nearly 80 civilians in the region.
An Intelligence Bureau official says that the Pakistan armed forces would use brute force against the TTP with its air power. The ISKP and Lashkar would come into the picture when the battle moves to the ground. The official also adds that a good number of the terrorist grouping’s cadres that have been sent to KP would look to infiltrate into Jammu and Kashmir.
The ISI is trying to set up ‘fidayeen’ squads in Jammu and Kashmir with the intention of hitting tourist spots. There was a setback for the tourism industry in Jammu and Kashmir following the Pahalgam attack. However, the industry has bounced back, and tourism has once again begun to thrive in the Union Territory.
Another official said that if the ISKP and Lashkar cadres do manage to come into Jammu and Kashmir, it would be a nightmare for the security agencies. Together, they are a lethal force and capable of inflicting severe damage in case they are successful. This explains the heightened combing operations that the Indian Army is undertaking in Jammu and Kashmir.
An official said that the Intelligence regarding the infiltration of the Lashkar-ISKP cadres is Grade A and actionable. The Indian Army is taking no chances and has increased search operations to flush out terrorists and also prevent any infiltration bids.
This operation is being overseen by ISI official Brigadier Faiq Ayub and X Corps Commander Lt General Ahsan Nawaz.
Officials say that this operation, which the ISI is planning in Jammu and Kashmir, exposes Pakistan further. It has managed to get the Lashkar and ISKP together under the pretext of battling the TTP. Pakistan does not consider either the ISKP or Lashkar to be terrorist organisations, when the entire world recognises them as such.
Battling the TTP is one part of the issue. However, the larger agenda is to prepare a dangerous squad to strike at tourist locations in Jammu and Kashmir, Intelligence Bureau officials say.
Officials also say that Pahalgam was meant to hurt the tourism industry. However, the ISI is upset and also surprised that the tourism industry, after a brief setback, managed to bounce back. Hence, it has decided to carry out a series of coordinated attacks across 20 tourist hubs in Jammu and Kashmir, the Intelligence assessment says.
If the ISI is successful in executing this plan, which would be on the scale of a Mumbai 26/11 attack, then the tourism industry would be hit hard and would take quite a while to bounce back. One of the main reasons why Kashmir is witnessing peace is that businesses are thriving and the youth are no longer unemployed in large numbers. If the tourism industry is hit, then unemployment sets in, and this would, in turn, drive the youth towards the path of terrorism. This is exactly what Pakistan is looking to target, officials say.