Post 370 major change in terror strategy
Fayaz Bukhari
Srinagar, Apr 8: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) today filed a charge sheet against 25 persons for their involvement in various militancy cases in Kashmir.
The charge sheet against these persons was filed in Special Court NIA in New Delhi. These persons were arrested in Kashmir during raids for the last six months for their alleged involvement in various militancy cases.
They were accused for hatching of conspiracy both on physical as well as cyberspace for undertaking violent militancy acts in J&K and other parts of the country. They belong to Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM), Al-Badr and their affiliates The Resistance Front (TRF) and People Anti-Fascist Forces (PAFF).
The NIA in a statement said that investigation has unearthed a deep rooted conspiracy of Pakistan based organisations in joining hands in the form of a united group and shifting of their modus operandi by floating pseudo offshoot outfits portrayed as indigenous resistance groups, in whose name militant activities are being carried out.
“After the abrogation of Article 370, this shift was discernible in claims of terrorist acts done in J&K. Many affiliate/offshoots outfits such as The Resistance Front (TRF), People Against Fascist Forces (PAFF), United Liberation Front J&K (ULF), Muslim Janbaaz Force (MJF), Kashmir Janbaaz Force (KJF), Kashmir Tigers, Kashmir Fight, Mujahideen Gazwat-ul-Hind, Kashmir Gaznavi Force etc had suddenly mushroomed, laying claims to various terrorist acts,” the statement said.
It said that the investigation established that all these pseudo-outfits are in fact offshoots of the Pakistan based militant outfits. It further said that they have been floated under a deep-rooted conspiracy to portray Kashmir militancy as home-grown insurgency.
“A well-organized propaganda machinery operating on cyberspace through various websites, blogs, social media handles, closed channels on encrypted communication platforms etc. wherein concocted and skewed narrative is presented to impressionable and Pak based nodes have been used to radicalize youth. Investigation has revealed that all this media propaganda of different terrorist outfits was epicentred around common nodes operating from Pakistan,” the NIA statement said.
The NIA said that the key conspiracy is inducting new cadres in form of hybrid militants belonging to various walks of life, who could use their cover to remain rooted in the society and simultaneously carry out instructions of their terrorist handlers.
“While acting as an OGW, they were also found indulging in terrorist actions such as grenade lobbing, undertaking lone attacks on vulnerable targets, arson etc. The investigation has also revealed a clear shift in the strategy of terrorist organization towards targeted killings of minorities, civilians, migrants, government officials and unguarded security personnel,” it said.
The charge sheet was filed against Bashir Ahmed Peer alias Imtiyaz Alam of Punzgam, Kupwara, Imtiyaz Kundoo alias Fayaz Sopore of Kralteng Sopore, Bilal Ahmed Mir alias Bilal Fafoo of Gulbagh Colony, Parimpora, Srinagar, Owais Ahmed Dar of Gulbugh, Kakapora, Pulwama, Tariq Ahmed Dar of Solina Bala, Srinagar, Tariq Ahmed Bafanda of Gani Memorial Stadium, Rajouri Kadal, Srinagar, Mohammad Haneef Chairalu of Bagh Sunder Payeen, Karan Nagar Srinagar, Hanan Gulzar Dar of Firdausabad, Batamaloo, Srinagar, Mateen Ahmed Bhat of Pudsoo, Shopian, Kamran Ashraf Reshi of Khimber, Reshipora Hazratbal, near Jamia Masjid, Srinagar, Rayid Bashir of Tibetian Colony, Safakadal, Eidgah Srinagar, Mohammad Manan Dar alias Manan of Firdausabad, Batamaloo, Srinagar, Zamin Adil Bhat of Munawarabad, Ikhwan Chowk, Srinagar, Hariis Nisar Langoo of Khanyar, Srinagar, Rouf Ahmad Bhat of Lone Mohalla Village Bewora, Bijbehara, Anantnag, Sobiya Aziz Mir alias Mariyam-Al-Kashmiri of Parimpora, Srinagar, Amir Ahmad Gojree of Sammarbok, New Colony, Pantha Chowk, Srinagar, Sadaat Amin Malik alias Syed Arhan of Baba Raza, Tarzoo Sopore, Ishfaq Amin Wani alias Rehan Amin Wani of Bemina, Hamdania Colony, Srinagar, Rashid Muzafar Ganai of Shalpora Sopore, Nashir Ahmad Mir of Model Town, Sopore, Irfan Tariq Antoo of Kralteng, Sopore, Suhail Ahmad Thokar of Hadigam, district Kulgam, Adil Ahmad War of Anchar, Soura, Srinagar and Arif Farooq Bhat of Syedabad, Bemina, Srinagar.