New Delhi, March 17 – With the situation in Afghanistan dire, following an attack on a hospital that killed 400 people, and likely to worsen further, Indian agencies have warned that fresh infiltration attempts could be made into Jammu and Kashmir, taking advantage of the distraction.
An official from the Intelligence Bureau said that intercepts suggest that launch pads in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) have become active again, and there are over 500 terrorists waiting at these pads and ready to infiltrate.
The official says that while the majority of terrorists waiting at the launch pads are from Jaish-e-Mohammad and Lashkar-e-Taiba, the ongoing war in Afghanistan has added a new dimension.
Fresh inputs suggest that the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) is using the distraction caused by the existing situation and will attempt to infiltrate into Jammu and Kashmir, the official said.
The Pakistani establishment, which has enlisted the ISKP to fight against the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), will not object to the ISKP trying to make inroads in Jammu and Kashmir.
Previously, a strict line had been drawn, and Jammu and Kashmir was considered the exclusive territory of Jaish and the Lashkar.
The ISKP, on the other hand, has in the past openly spoken about its ambitions in Jammu and Kashmir. However, it was unable to set up a base as it did not have the backing of either the ISI or the Pakistan Army.
An official said that the situation has now changed, and hence, there is a high sense of alert about possible infiltrations by ISKP terrorists.
Indian security agencies are maintaining a high state of alert at the borders of both Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir.
Due to the situation in Afghanistan, terror groups hope that the Indian agencies may be distracted and also caught off guard.
These groups are trying to take advantage of the situation and have decided to increase the number of infiltration attempts, with the hope that the Indian security forces will fail at least on a couple of occasions.
Intelligence agencies had, a couple of years back, flagged the possibility of battle-hardened terrorists infiltrating into India along the Afghan border, taking advantage of the weak and porous security systems.
Today, India shares good ties with Afghanistan, and Kabul has assured New Delhi that it will not allow its territory to be used as a launchpad.
While the improved ties do help India in its war against terror, the problem is the current situation in Afghanistan. The entire security mechanism out there is under duress owing to the ongoing war, and this may be taken advantage of by the terrorists, officials say.
Another official warned of a possible spillover effect due to the ongoing war. ISKP terrorists may try to slip into Pakistan, taking advantage of the weak security prevalent at this time and then move into India.
Earlier this month, a major infiltration attempt was foiled by Indian security forces at Uri in Jammu and Kashmir. Officials say that infiltration attempts continue to be a cause for major concern. Terror groups are making attempts too frequently, and this has kept the security agencies on their toes.
The Army, however, has said that it remains fully prepared to counter any infiltration attempt.
On the Afghanistan situation, experts say that nothing is going to improve anytime soon. Pakistan is expected to intensify its military campaign. The Afghan Taliban has promised revenge for the attack that killed 400 civilians at a hospital and could conduct raids on border posts. More cross-border guerrilla attacks could be carried out to target the Pakistani security forces, say experts.