Spillover of Taliban-Pak conflict: 1,500 terrorists await infiltration into India, warn agencies
Indian intelligence agencies have issued high-alert warnings as the Pakistan-Afghanistan conflict risks spilling into India. Terror groups like Jaish-e-Mohammad and Lashkar-e-Tayiba are preparing infiltration attempts, while security forces in Jammu & Kashmir and Punjab remain vigilant to prevent attacks
New Delhi: Intelligence agencies have warned that there could be a spillover of the Pakistan-Afghanistan conflict into India. The borders have been placed under high-alert as the Indian agencies warn that the conflict in the neighbouring nations could have an impact on the country.
Although the Afghan Taliban has said that it would prefer dialogue over conflict to resolve the crisis, Islamabad remains adamant and wants to prolong the war. The war is taking place at a time when terror outfits such as the Lashkar-e-Tayiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad are trying to revive themselves and launch major strikes on India. Both these groups have become desperate after ‘Operation Sindoor’ during which they lost both men and infrastructure. These terror groups are hoping that the Indian security establishment would falter as tensions build up with each passing day in the neighbourhood.
The launch pads at Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK) have already been activated. The ISI has already instructed the waiting terrorists to be prepared for mass infiltration bids. The Indian agencies estimate that nearly 1,000 to 1,500 terrorists are waiting to infiltrate into India through the border at Jammu and Kashmir.
An official said that although Pakistan is in a battle with Afghanistan, there are several elements close to the ISI who are present in the country.
The Indian agencies are keeping a close watch on these persons as most of them are affiliated to the Jaish-e-Mohammad. These people, too, would look to enter India and then carry out strikes in Jammu and Kashmir. Another official explained that the current situation is extremely dangerous. When terror groups become desperate, they can go to any lengths and this is what our security forces need to watch out for, the official explained.
Ties between Afghanistan and India have improved dramatically. Hence, for India, the end of the Pakistan-Afghanistan war would be crucial. However, there are none currently to mediate between the two countries and ask them to stop hostilities. West Asia is busy with the ongoing Israel-Iran war. The US had indicated that it was ready to intervene, but under the current circumstances, it would not be able to do so as it is busy with the Iran war which shows no signs of slowing down.
The Indian agencies have said that the situation at the border at Jammu and Kashmir is not the only area of concern. The Punjab border, too, remains highly volatile as the Khalistani elements have upped operations. The strategy of Pakistan is to stress the Indian security mechanism from all fronts. The ISI-backed elements are very active at both the Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir border.
Another official stated that for Pakistan the war with Afghanistan has been anything but easy. The Taliban is showing no signs of a surrender and one can be sure that it would not happen in the near future, the officer said. While many within Pakistan do not subscribe to the war with Afghanistan, it is the army under Field Marshal Asim Munir which is not relenting.
The Pakistan establishment has been left red-faced courtesy a lot of issues. The losses that it has faced at the hands of the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) have left the establishment embarrassed. For the establishment, a major distraction from the various problems is the need of the hour. The establishment feels that in the current situation, the best option is to carry out a major strike on India.
Pakistan watchers say that this is why the ISI and army would look to push terrorists hard into Indian territory so that they could carry out an attack. While the Jaish-e-Mohammad and Lashkar-e-Tayiba are already planning major operations in North India, they would still prefer to rebuild their bases in Jammu and Kashmir.
The Kashmir issue resonates with the Pakistan public and hence the need to strike at the Union Territory becomes important for the establishment.
Officials say that although Pakistan is planning major operations, the Indian borders are on very high-alert and the security forces are capable of thwarting any attempts to infiltrate.
Meanwhile, the Jammu and Kashmir Police are also on guard and are watching closely the over ground worker network, which has been instructed by Pakistan to ramp up efforts to revive terror modules.
