Coinciding with the 7th anniversary of 26/11 Mumbai attacks, the central intelligence agencies have received specific inputs that Pakistan's ISI recently held a meeting with chief commanders of top terrorist outfits - Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Hizbul Mujahideen and Jaish-e-Muhammed (JeM) - asking them to carry out terror strikes in India.
Reports suggest that some 30 militants from the three outfits have been briefed by ISI and brought close to the Line of Control to take part in a 'spectacular' strike on Indian soil. Intelligence sources said after giving specific directions to the leaders of LeT, JeM and Hizb, ISI held a detailed briefing of 30 terrorists in a camp somewhere in Pak-occupied Kashmir (PoK) a few days back.
Sources said ISI is providing logistical help to the three outfits. The meeting, an official said, was headed by an ISI handler - identified as Showkat Khan - at a camp in PoK for which the terrorists travelled from Peshawar.
The terrorists are said to be highly trained and have been asked to cross over to India before the routes in the upper reaches are blocked by snow.
Following the inputs, the Indian agencies fear a major attack in the next one month. "We are making every possible attempt to get all details of the operation which has been planned by the Pakistani establishment with the terror outfits," said an official. The security establishment is wary of the capabilities of LeT, JeM and Hizb since these outfits have carried out some of the major attacks in India, including the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, 2000 Red Fort attack, 2001 Parliament attack and September 2011 Delhi high court attack besides serial bombings in many cities.
Interestingly, Jaish-e-Muhammed, which has been working with ISI for ages but went out of favour after the assassination attempt on former President Pervez Musharraf, has been asked to participate actively in the operation. "This suggests that JeM is now back in ISI-fold," said an official. In fact, the attack last week an Army camp in Tangdhar in Kashmir near the LoC was carried out by three heavily-armed militants of JeM, suggesting that it is trying to win back the confidence of ISI and Pak army. The central government has asked beefing up of security measures and intensifying vigil along the border and LoC.
