Delhi blast investigation reveals ISI using J&K youth in countrywide terror module

New Delhi: Investigations into the Delhi Red Fort blast indicate a growing Jammu and Kashmir connection, signalling a shift in terror strategies.

Intelligence agencies have revealed that Maulvi Irfan Ahmed, a resident of Jammu and Kashmir, supervised the Faridabad module linked to the blast. Similarly, car bomber Dr Umar Nabi hailed from Pulwama, underscoring the emerging trend.

Officials noted that earlier, Pakistan-based terror groups primarily sought operatives to target Jammu and Kashmir. The new pattern, however, shows a deliberate effort to recruit youth from the Union Territory and deploy them across India.

The ISI has reportedly backed the formation of local terror outfits such as The Resistance Front (TRF) and Hizbul Mujahideen with the objective of presenting these as homegrown movements. This strategy aims to give the impression internationally that the unrest in Kashmir is driven by local aspirations for liberation.

The Hizbul Mujahideen, which was a homegrown outfit controlled by the ISI, was wiped out in Jammu and Kashmir by the security agencies.

It all began with the elimination of Burhan Wani, following which the security forces killed all the top commanders of the outfit. This led to the creation of TRF, which mostly recruits from Jammu and Kashmir.

However, the Indian armed forces carried out Operation Sindoor to avenge the Pahalgam attacks.

Following this, TRF vanished from the picture. Since then, the ISI has tried hard to raise a homegrown outfit in Jammu and Kashmir, but failed to find the desired success.

The Delhi blast shows a pattern shift, and the JeM has been recruiting people from Jammu and Kashmir to carry out attacks in other parts of the country.

The JeM, which created the Faridabad module, was in the process of recruiting more from Jammu and Kashmir for the other modules across the country.

Officials said that the ISI is clear that it wants locals from Jammu and Kashmir to be part of these modules and carry out attacks across the country.

One of the main intentions is to separate the Kashmiris from the rest of the country.

Following the Pahalgam attack, a divide was almost created between Kashmir and the rest of India. There were hateful messages that were posted against the Kashmiris. This is what the ISI intends to continue playing out so that the local Kashmiris feel alienated, and they will move towards the ISI's agenda.

Post the abrogation of Article 370, a lot has changed in Jammu and Kashmir.

The locals witnessed peace after a long time, and this led to a tourism boom. This benefited the locals a lot.

An official explained that this shift is something that the ISI could not digest.

Moreover, this was hurting their agenda as the youth, who normally pelted stones, moved away and began focusing on their livelihood.

The ISI and JeM launched a drive whereby they would pick people from Jammu and Kashmir to carry out attacks in the country.

It also tasked the Jamaat-e-Islami with identifying people to execute this task. The Intelligence Bureau has flagged this ploy of the terror outfit, leading to nearly 500 raids in Jammu and Kashmir over the last couple of days.

An Intelligence Bureau official said that it is necessary to pick out the select few who still back the ISI, and this needs to be done urgently to avoid the problem from spreading further.

Raids are ongoing in several locations relating to the Jamaat, which is a banned entity in India.

The agencies are focused on the members of the Jamaat and also those linked with the Jaish-e-Mohammad.

The scanner is also on those persons who were behind pasting the posters of the JeM in Jammu and Kashmir.

It clearly indicated that the ISI, with the help of the Jamaat, has launched a massive drive to recruit locals to be part of the many modules of the JeM across the country. IANS