Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Sept 17: Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) chief Hafiz Sayeed is even trying to take advantage of flood situation in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) and luring youths rendered shelter less by the recent rains and floods in other part of Kashmir to join militancy.
The Intelligence agencies have obtained specific inputs that Hafiz Sayeed, who was recently given clean chit by Pakistan Government saying he was free to roam in any part of the country, had visited Kotli and some other areas of PoK, opposite twin border districts of Rajouri and Poonch and inter-acted with the youth putting up in relief camps set up by the volunteers and the PoK Government in the aftermath of recent floods there.
Like Jammu and Kashmir, heavy rains and floods have also caused havoc in PoK destroying property and infrastructure and killing about 200 civilians. Several people, whose houses were destroyed in the floods, have taken shelter in relief camps, which were being run by the PoK Government and administration.
Sources said taking advantage of the situation, Hafiz Sayeed along with his lieutenants himself visited the relief camps and tried to motivate the youth to join militancy and wage `jehad’. They didn’t rule out possibility of some of the youth taking to militancy especially in a situation when Pakistan and PoK Governments have made no arrangement for relief and rehabilitation of flood victims like the Indian Government, which has deployed large number of Army, Air Force, Navy and NDRF personnel to provide relief to the people of Jammu and Kashmir affected by the floods.
Incidentally, sources said, a day after the visit of Hafiz Sayeed, two IED blasts had occurred in Mankote area of Poonch district in which two porters hired by the BSF were killed and two BSF jawans were injured.
Worthwhile to mention here that LeT and other Pakistan based militant outfits including Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) were running extreme short of cadre as youths in Pakistan, PoK and J&K were disenchanted with the militancy. Moreover, the militants were not even able to infiltrate/exfiltrate due to strict surveillance being maintained by Army and BSF along the Line of Control (LoC) and International Border in Jammu and Kashmir.
According to sources, the flood affected youth in PoK could become `potential threat’ if they were successfully lured by Hafiz Sayeed and other cadre of the LeT. As per reports, nearly 2000 families have been hard hit by the floods in Kotli district of PoK alone as their houses were either razed or rendered unsafe due to heavy rains and floods recently. Apart from Kotli, several other areas of PoK have also been worst affected by the floods and rains.
Sources said the armed forces and Intelligence agencies here were well aware of Hafiz Sayeed plan to lure flood affected youth of PoK into the militancy and were keeping close vigil on the situation. Army and BSF were already maintaining strict surveillance on the situation on the LoC and IB respectively to thwart any plot by the LeT and other militant outfits to infiltrate into Jammu and Kashmir especially at a time by the Government was busy in tackling situation arising out of worst ever floods in the State.
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