New Delhi, Nov 26 The Delhi Red Fort blast and also the seizure of ammonium nitrate in such large quantities brought back memories of the dreaded Indian Mujahideen. Discussions about homegrown and self-radicalised terrorists are back on the table, and the Indian security agencies have once again a new headache to deal with.
There are many similarities between the Faridabad module and the ones that the Indian Mujahideen operated. Both these terror groups had only Indian Muslims in them and the operatives of both these outfits were educated, and many came from well-off families.
Intelligence Bureau officials say that while both modules have many similarities, there is a slight difference in the manner in which Pakistan has handled them. The Indian Mujahideen was part of Pakistan’s ambitious Karachi Project. It was being handled entirely by Pakistani operatives. It was just a namesake homegrown terror outfit, which was entirely funded and handled by Pakistan.
However, there is a marked difference in the Faridabad module. The module had a bunch of self-radicalised persons. They were educated and even raised their own funds. The reason why it is being called a Jaish-e-Mohammed module is that these persons followed the ideology of the outfit and believed in the terror group’s views on Jammu and Kashmir.
Experts say that, in a nutshell, the Faridabad module was inspired by the ideology of the Jaish-e-Mohammed, which operates out of Pakistan. The members of the module who were handled by Maulvi Irfan Ahmed from Jammu and Kashmir decided to come together owing to their common ideology. They decided not to operate in Jammu and Kashmir and instead focus on the rest of the country. It was only when things were set, Pakistan stepped in and provided support from handlers based out of Afghanistan.
Investigations show that the members of the Faridabad module had used their high-paying salaries to fund their activities. They not just managed to procure such huge quantities of ammonium nitrate, but also managed to source acetone, hydrogen peroxide and nitric acid. This mixture does not need any device to trigger the explosives. The explosion is triggered by heat or friction.
Officials say that when compared to the Indian Mujahideen, the Faridabad module was a true homegrown terror group. The major part of the command centre was in India and Pakistan came into the picture where the operations were concerned, only at a later stage.
The fact that this was a homegrown module does not mean Pakistan gets a clean chit in all this. The ISI dealt very little directly with this module, but the seeds were sown by the spy agency. The ISI has been recruiting persons from Jammu and Kashmir and then radicalising them. These persons are then tasked with overseeing such modules. This ensures that the contact with Pakistan is very little, and hence the trail would never lead to them.
This is a deliberate ploy by the ISI, and it also seeks to ensure that terror groups come up and run on autopilot mode. Officials also say that going forward, this is the strategy that the ISI would adopt more in India. Any trail not leading up to Islamabad is critical for Pakistan.
While the fear of getting back on the Grey List of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is one major concern, the other is India’s response. The response in the form of Operation Sindoor post the Pahalgam attack has sent shivers down Pakistan’s spine. Hence, it would look to avoid such an embarrassment in future, officials also added.
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