New Delhi, July 24 (IANS) The Resistance Front (TRF) appears to be attempting a comeback in Jammu and Kashmir after largely disappearing from the spotlight following the Pahalgam terror attack in April last year.
Following the gunning down of a Jammu and Kashmir police head constable in Kashmir’s Anantnag on Wednesday, the TRF, a proxy of the Lashkar-e-Taiba, claimed responsibility for the attack in a post on social media.
Intelligence agencies say that while the Anantnag attack is still under investigation, the TRF’s claim of responsibility appears to be a test of its ability to reassert its presence. Officials believe Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), which has been trying to revive a home-grown proxy in Jammu and Kashmir, sees the return of the TRF as strategically important.
Following Operation Sindoor, security across Jammu and Kashmir was significantly tightened, leading to a sharp decline in terror incidents and a return of relative peace in the Union Territory. Enhanced border surveillance and sustained counter-terror operations have made it increasingly difficult for Pakistan-backed groups to carry out attacks or push infiltrators across the Line of Control, leaving terror outfits operating from Pakistan under mounting pressure.
An Intelligence Bureau official said these developments had left Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) increasingly desperate. The agency first attempted to revive the Hizbul Mujahideen in Jammu and Kashmir, but those efforts failed to gain traction.
The ISI also began building a new network of overground workers (OWGs), as many of the existing operatives had come under the security agencies’ radar and had criminal records with the police. “Efforts are also underway to establish an all-women OWG network,” the official said.
In the given circumstances for the ISI, TRF remains its best bet for home-grown operations in J&K. An official said that the latest attack in Anantnag must be taken very seriously. “It could be used to revive the terror group, which had gone largely silent post the Pahalgam attack and subsequent Operation Sindoor,” the official said.
According to the official, the TRF’s social media post claiming responsibility for the attack on the police constable is intended to serve as a recruitment tool, with local youth in Jammu and Kashmir being the primary target. The outfit is also seeking to gauge the response to both the attack and its public claim of responsibility, in an apparent attempt to assess its ability to regain influence and attract fresh recruits.
Another official said that the TRF would attempt something similar in J&K soon. The idea now appears to be to carry out smaller attacks, and then, as it gains the desired traction, it would aim for the bigger strikes.
Officials say that the TRF would currently focus on smaller attacks and its main emphasis would be on recruitment. “Currently it does not have either the traction or desired strength locally to carry out a big attack in Jammu and Kashmir,” the official also added.
For years, Pakistan has sought to establish a home-grown terror outfit in J&K. The strategy was initially aimed at creating plausible deniability by portraying attacks in the Valley as being carried out by local militants rather than Pakistan-backed groups.
Officials say the need for such a proxy has become even more critical after the Pahalgam terror attack, following which India adopted a new security doctrine under which any act of terrorism is treated not merely as cross-border terrorism but as an act of war.
“This shift makes it even more important for the ISI to cultivate a home-grown outfit comprising only local operatives,” an official said.
In the days to come, TRF would double its efforts to revive and regroup. The agencies warn of smaller attacks and a renewed push for local recruitment.
On Wednesday, head constable Ashiq Hussain, who was deployed for the Amarnath Yatra security duties, was shot at by terrorists near Lal Chowk in Anantnag. He was immediately taken to the Government Medical College Hospital in Anantnag, but the doctors declared him brought dead on arrival.
–IANS
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