New Delhi, Aug 12 Operation Sindoor dealt a body blow to several terror organisations operating on Pakistan soil. The worst to be hit were the Jaish-e-Muhammad, Lashkar-e-Toiba, Hizbul Mujahideen and the Resistance Front.
The heat is high on all these terror organisations. The Resistance Front, which had initially claimed responsibility for the Pahalgam attack, later withdrew its statement.
The TRF was created as a proxy for the Lashkar-e-Toiba. This group was meant to fill the shoes of the Hizbul Mujahideen and be the local face of terror in Jammu and Kashmir. This was done so that it appears that terrorism is a local issue in J&K. Moreover, any attack by this group would give Pakistan the deniability factor.
With the TRF under severe scrutiny, Pakistan is missing a local terror group in the Valley. The latest Intelligence reports state that the ISI is planning on reviving the Hizbul Mujahideen in a major manner. This indicates that the ISI is planning on making a major local push in J&K.
Following the death of Burhan Wani and all his cronies, the Hizbul Mujahideen was almost dead. Its top leadership is in Pakistan, and almost all of its foot soldiers have gone underground. The other reason for the Hizbul Mujahideen to go down was the death of separatism in the Valley. Together, the separatists and this terror group worked hand in hand, and they were a deadly combination for several years.
Not having a local unit with its command in Jammu and Kashmir makes it a daunting task for the ISI to carry out attacks. Infiltrations have become a nightmare for the terrorists. The fact that the security agencies are on a state of very high alert has also not made matters easy for terror groups.
Now, the ISI is looking to have a completely localised unit, where terrorists are fully homegrown. This eliminates the risk and trouble of infiltration. The ISI and the Hizbul Mujahideen leadership are trying to activate the Over Ground Workers (OGWs) and ask them to heavily recruit locals for the Hizbul Mujahideen.
The agencies, however, say that the ISI is intentionally keeping this affair low-key. They are trying to revive the outfit, but in a gradual manner so that it does not get too much heat.
Syed Salahuddin, the head of the outfit, is in Pakistan. He has been actively collecting funds and meeting with members of the Muttahida Jihad Council, a conglomerate of 13 Pakistani-based terror groups, which are Kashmir-centric.
To keep away from the limelight is an intentional ploy. The ISI feels that his message could help in recruitment in Jammu and Kashmir, and hence, for the timing, they have kept him out of the limelight.
In the aftermath of the Pahalgam attack, India had changed its doctrine. It said terror attacks from Pakistan would not be considered as cross-border terrorism, but as an act of war.
In such an event to have a completely localised group also helps Pakistan avoid India’s fury. Any attack by the Hizbul Mujahideen will be branded as a completely localised operation.
In such an event, the Indian investigators would have to work harder to establish a direct Pakistan link to the attack.
The Indian agencies are watching these developments closely, and the monitoring of the OGWs, possible terror cells, is all under watch.
On the other hand, the ISI is making a slow and steady push to revive the Hizbul Mujahideen’s strengths in the Valley.
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