By Ajay Kaul
New Delhi, Sep 21 (NVI) In an interesting development, Pakistan-supported anti-India terror groups, particularly Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) and Hizbul Mujahideen (HM), are shifting their training camps to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) Province in their quest for ‘safe locations’ after the ‘Operation Sindoor’ made their positions vulnerable elsewhere in that country.
The Pakistani military has been extending all help to these outfits in identifying the ‘safe locations’ in KPK as well as shifting their arsenal clandestinely, according to inputs received from the ground.
The shifting has been effected as the location of their terror camps in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) and Punjab Province of Pakistan was considered vulnerable after the Indian air strikes hit 9 major terror-training facilities in these areas under ‘Operation Sindoor’ on May 7 this year.
These groups believe that, to escape any future attacks by India, KPK offers greater depth due to its geography, proximity to the Afghan frontier, and existing jihadi safe havens dating back to the Afghan war.
It may be recalled that during the night of May 6 and 7, Indian forces, under ‘Operation Sindoor’, carried out precision air strikes at 9 major terror camps situated in Bahawalpur and Muridke in Pakistani Punjab Province and in Rawalakot in PoJK.
The air strike was carried out in retaliation to the massacre of 25 Indian tourists and a local man by 3 Pakistani terrorists in scenic Pahalgam in Kashmir on April 22.
Not only are these anti-India terrorist groups shifting the training camps, they are also carrying out a special drive to recruit jihadis in their fold, that too publicly.
One such activity took place in Garhi Habibullah town of Mansehra district in KPK on September 14, about 7 hours before the start of the India-Pakistan T20 cricket match during the ongoing Asia Cup, sources said.
On that day, JeM staged a public recruitment drive, where the brainwashing speech was delivered by Masood Ilyas Kashmiri alias Abu Mohammad, the terror outfit’s chief for KPK and Kashmir.
The event was held under the garb of a “Deobandi religious gathering” but for over 30 minutes, Masood Ilyas Kashmiri glorified Osama Bin Laden, calling him the ‘Shohada-e-Islam’ (Martyr of Islam) and ‘Prince of Arab’ and directly linking JeM’s ideological line with Al-Qaeda’s legacy.
For India, Masood is among the most wanted terrorists, closely connected to JeM founder and chief Masood Azhar.
Videos from the rally showed that Masood was guarded by the JeM terrorists armed with sophisticated M4 rifles.
Local police officers, including Inspector Liaqat Shah of Garhi Habibullah Police Station, were also providing security to the rally, demonstrating clearly the level of complicity between the State of Pakistan and anti-India terrorists.
In his speech, Masood reminded the audience that when Masood Azhar was freed from an Indian jail in exchange for hostages of Indian Airlines plane IC-814 hijacked terrorists in December 1999, Balakot in KPK became his base and headquarters of JeM.
He highlighted this aspect to underline the importance of KPK for the operations of JeM.
Along with JeM, HM is also constructing a new training camp, codenamed ‘HM 313’ in Bandaai area of Lower Dir in KPK, according to sources.
The plot of land for this camp was discreetly purchased and construction launched after ‘Operation Sindoor’.
This HM training facility is being constructed under the supervision of former Pakistan Army commando Khalid Khan, who is also a commander of the anti-India terror outfit.
The “313” nomenclature is a clear symbolic tribute to both Badr Ghazwa (historic Islamic battle) and Al-Qaeda’s Brigade 313, reflecting Hizbul’s intent to attract global jihadi legitimacy. (NVI)
