New Delhi, Sep 14 (IANS) The Indian agencies have stepped up operations in the wake of Lashkar-e-Taiba making a massive push to rebuild terror networks in Jammu and Kashmir. Latest Intelligence reports suggest that the outfit has been in overdrive mode to revive terror in the Valley.

The agencies have also picked up intercepts that suggest that radicalisation efforts in Jammu and Kashmir have increased. An official said that this has prompted both the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the State Investigation Agency (SIA) to step up counter-terror and radicalisation measures.

The Lashkar-e-Taiba has set up dedicated units in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Pakistan to focus entirely on radicalisation in Jammu and Kashmir, the official said.

An Intelligence Bureau official said that Lashkar-e-Taiba has been tapping a smaller group of youth spread across Jammu and Kashmir in a bid to radicalise. While the issues of radicalisation and terrorism have gone down drastically in the Valley, the agencies are leaving no stone unturned to ensure that the problems do not return, the official added.

Another official said that the ISI and Lashkar-e-Taiba have set up units for radicalisation. They have gathered a bunch of youth who had exfiltrated into Pakistan and PoK, who have been put in charge of such radicalisation activities. These youth have their relatives in Jammu and Kashmir and have been asked to use their contacts to identify potential targets for radicalisation.

The aim is to have a bunch of radicalised youth in Jammu and Kashmir and then focus on terror-related activity, the official added.

The SIA in its recent operation identified five persons, including two women who had been in touch with persons in PoK and Pakistan. These persons were found to be in contact with handlers in Pakistan and PoK, and the SIA learnt that attempts were being made to radicalise them.

Officials say that Lashkar-e-Taiba aims to radicalise a certain number of people at first. Once radicalised, these persons would be told to find more people across Jammu and Kashmir and bring them into their fold, the official added. Basically, the idea is to set up a homegrown radicalisation module and ensure that more youth join these groups, the official said.

The ISI has specifically instructed the Lashkar-e-Taiba to take things slow. They want the poison to spread in Jammu and Kashmir and hence have selected only a handful of people. The intention is to first radicalise a handful of people and then ask the same persons to identify more people, officials say.

The problem of radicalisation is far more challenging when compared to terrorism. Having a large army of heavily radicalised people is far more dangerous for society. These would eventually indulge in acts of terror and would have the support of the youth who have been radicalised by Lashkar-e-Taiba, officials say.

In the meantime, fresh attempts are being made to infiltrate. In the first phase, the ISI is looking to push in 30 to 40 terrorists who are waiting at the launchpads in PoK. Once the infiltration is complete, the terrorists would be asked to take cover in the dense forests. They would continue to remain there until they are instructed to carry out a big strike.

An Intelligence assessment says that the ISI is planning an attack on the scale of Pahalgam or Pulwama. The brief to these terrorists would be to target the Kashmiri Pandits and other migrant workers. The idea is to create a divide and disrupt communal harmony in Jammu and Kashmir. This would end up creating a security headache for the agencies, an official said.

--IANS

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