New Delhi, July 20 (IANS) The ISI has been focusing on the states of Gujarat and Rajasthan in recent months. This signals a shift in conventional operations that were carried out by the Pakistan-based terror groups along the Line of Control (LoC) or within Jammu and Kashmir.
The busting of a Jaish-e-Mohammed module by the Gujarat Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS) last week is a sign of how terror groups are modifying their operations. In recent months, the maximum activity by ISI-backed terror groups has been found in Gujarat and Rajasthan.
Terror groups have shifted their focus to Gujarat so that they could build up modules using locals. Most of the modules coming up in the state are inspired by one terror group or another. The recent one busted in Gujarat was a Jaish-e-Mohammed-inspired terror module that conspired to carry out attacks in the state.
The Rajasthan operations are different. Here the focus is limited to building up a massive spy ring. Almost all recent arrests are linked to espionage-related cases. An Intelligence Bureau official said that the ISI is playing a well-thought-out game in these western states. The idea is to keep the states on the boil as a target for critical infrastructure, the official added.
It is a sign that the ISI wants to have multiple modules in these states so that the economy is targeted, the official also said. Another official said that while Gujarat would continue to house the terror modules, the task in Rajasthan is to build up a massive espionage network.
The plan is to carry out a series of attacks and ensure that the security in these states becomes extremely vulnerable. Both these states share international borders with Pakistan, and in the long run the ISI would want these routes to become the primary infiltration points, the official also said.
The main intention is to ensure that the economies of both these states, especially Gujarat, are hit hard. On their target list are the ports in Gujarat and also the oil refinery complex in Jamnagar. Officials say that the espionage network in Rajasthan has been tasked with gathering as much information regarding economic hubs in these states. The idea is to conduct a thorough surveillance of these places, so that the attacks could be precise in nature, the official added.
Counter terrorism experts say that with the target being the economy of these states, Pakistan will also make a massive push to have fake Indian currency circulated. This hurts the economy badly, and hence the instructions given to the operatives are to ramp up circulation of fake Indian currency.
While this is one part of the plan, the other is to create a diversion so that operations in Jammu and Kashmir could re-commence. The attention of the security agencies will be diverted majorly towards Gujarat and Rajasthan if multiple strikes are carried out. The ISI would look to use this diversion to launch terrorists waiting at Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) into Jammu and Kashmir.
Several infiltration attempts have failed in recent months, and this has made terror groups in Pakistan desperate. Officials say that the states of Rajasthan and Gujarat need constant monitoring. The ISI has had many setbacks, but it is unlikely to give up. It will continue to push propaganda material into these states and also run false narrative campaigns.
This is aimed at inciting communal tensions in these states, so that the security apparatus is further stressed. The Intelligence agencies warn that the ISI would look to go full throttle in these western states in the months to come, and hence a high sense of alert at all given times is advised.
–IANS
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