Jammu & Punjab New Battlegrounds for Pakistan-Sponsored Terror, Reveal Top Intel Sources | Exclusive

Jammu and Punjab have emerged as the new battlegrounds for Pakistan-sponsored terrorism, with terrorists following the zero ground-contact policy of infiltration, top Intelligence sources told CNN-News18.

“Jammu has almost 50 foreign terrorists from Pakistan which is a big number. Earlier, Jammu had only three slightly older terrorists from Kishtwar but the number has gone up with the help of Pakistan Army,” the sources said.

They added that the new recruits are young, trained and highly radicalised. “They are trained in such a way that they can survive without contact in the area and are capable of collecting information on their own instead of using the help of Over-Ground Workers (OGW),” they said.

The sources said ISI is clear that the OGW phenomenon is not working on any terrain these days after NIA cases and arrests in Kashmir. Hence, the terrorists have to make their way on their own. “Because of no OGWs, these boys are sent in large groups of four to seven so that they can back each other. Examples were seen in Jammu and Punjab where they were sighted. The police were informed and their sketches were circulated,” they said.

The Intel sources said the Pakistan Army knows that due to complacency in Jammu, deployment is low and reaction time is very slow. “Kashmir is successful due to flat terrain. In Poonch-Rajouri, terrain is very difficult with many high and lows. The synergy response of Kashmir is excellent and this will take time in Jammu to replicate. Jammu is a battleground because the scope of pushing terrorism is higher in the area. The terrorists are entering from the Hira Nagar side, possibly via a tunnel.”

The sources said in order to radicalise more youth and ignite a psychological war, the terrorists are making videos of ambush and attacks to spread on social media.

Speaking about the challenges in diversion of forces, the sources told CNN-News18 that the biggest impediment will be the deployment of army, which will be diverted from China border, thereby making the Line of Actual Control (LAC) weak.

The latest attack on an army vehicle on the Machhedi-Kindli-Malhar road in the Badnota village of Kathua on July 8, in which five soldiers were killed in the line of duty, has put the security establishment on high alert in Jammu.

From June 9, five terror strikes have taken place in the Jammu division of the Union Territory, in which eight security personnel and 10 civilians have been killed.