Pakistan pushing foreign militants to unsettle peace in Kashmir

While the Jammu and Kashmir Police has termed the killing of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen chief Riyaz Naikoo as a ‘major success’ in its fight against militancy in Kashmir, Pakistan is using the summer months to do all it can to push foreign militants to unsettle the calm in the Valley.

“For the Pakistan Army and spy agency ISI, the Hizb-ul is an important vertical of their strategy to keep Kashmir on the boil. The killing of Naikoo is a huge blow to the indigenous terror outfit as after Burhan Wani’s elimination in 2016, it was him who would recruit local youths for Hizb-ul,” sources told DH.

They said as recruitment of local youth into militancy had already dwindled since last year, Pakistan will not hesitate in sending more battle hardened militants to keep the morale of ultras high.

The Hizb-ul has, over the years, remained the largest indigenous militant outfit in Kashmir and it draws its recruits mainly from the Valley. “Pakistan wants to keep the Hizb-ul at the forefront just to show the world that terrorism in Kashmir is indigenous. For that purpose, they will ensure that Hizb-ul is not in disarray and will send some recruits from PoK to help them,” sources said.

A senior police officer said that Pakistan would send more militants to strengthen Jaish-e-Muhammad and Lashkar-e-Taiba outfits, but the Hizb-ul will be kept as a “front organisation” to claim responsibility for the attacks.

“This fits the Pakistani narrative that it is the Kashmiris who are fighting against the Indian Army and not foreign militants. Pakistani militants, who are sent across the LoC, have been instructed to ensure that they prod the others of Kashmiri origin in their groups to lead the attacks. Thus, the main threat to security in the Valley is from these hardened terrorists,” he revealed.

“As the attention of New Delhi and the world will remain on battling the coronavirus pandemic and its fallout, Pakistan will use these summer months, when the snow melts in mountain ranges, to do all it can to push militants to unsettle the calms of security forces in the Valley,” the officer added.