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Why are terror groups relocating in Pakistan? There's more to it than meets the eye
Terrorist groups are relocating in Pakistan, a development that comes months after the Operation Sindoor strikes by India that razed several terror camps.
Terrorist groups in the Pakistan are learnt to be shifting to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) province from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and other areas, a development being seen as a consequence of the Operation Sindoor precision strikes carried out by the Indian armed forces in May this year, which successfully neutralised several key terror infrastructures.
Indian forces struck nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and killed at least 100 terrorists in the early hours of May 7 under Operation Sindoor.
Why are terror groups relocating in Pak?
There's more to the development than meets the eye. The relocation by Pakistan-sponsored terror groups such as Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province is not just because the earlier ones were destroyed in the Indian strikes but also is a calculated move.
The move reflects a significant tactical adaptation by these groups that now view PoK as vulnerable to Indian precision strikes, an earlier HT report quoted people familiar with the development as saying on Friday citing intelligence inputs.
The above-mentioned people added that KPK offers greater depth due to its geography, proximity to the Afghan frontier, and existing jihadi safe havens dating back to the Afghan war.
The movement of the terror groups is being facilitated by Pakistan’s state structures, as shown by overt JeM gatherings held under police protection and the tacit involvement of political-religious outfits like Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI), the people said.
The terror camps that Operation Sindoor targeted
As part of Operation Sindoor action on May 7, the Indian Air Force hit two terror sites at Markaz Subhanallah in Bahawalpur and Markaz Taiba near Muridke, while the army hit targets at seven places including Mehmoona Joya in Sialkot, Sawai Nala and Syed Na Bilal in Muzaffarabad, Gulpur and Abbas in Kotli, Barnala in Bhimber, and Sarjal.
Located around 100km from the international border, JeM's Markaz Subhanallah camp – the headquarter as well as recruitment, training and indoctrinating centre for terrorists – was the farthest target for the Indian forces.
Located 25 kilometres inside Pakistan, Markaz Taiba was the headquarters of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) led by Hafiz Saeed, the mastermind behind several major attacks, including 2008 Mumbai terror strikes. Terrorists trained at this camp were also associated with the Mumbai attacks along with several other strikes in India. Ajmal Kasab, the only terrorist then captured alive, and David Coleman Headley received training here.
Between the launch of the operation on May 7 and the ceasefire on May 10, Indian forces also struck targets at 13 Pakistani airbases and military installations.
Major recruitment drive before India-Pak Asia cup match
In a major development related to the relocation of the terror groups, the JeM staged a major public recruitment drive at Garhi Habibullah of KPK’s Mansehra district a few hours before the start of the India-Pakistan cricket match during the ongoing Asia Cup on September 14, the people said.
“The event, ostensibly organised as part of a ‘Deobandi religious gathering,’ was a coordinated mobilisation effort led jointly by JeM and JUI in the presence of Masood Ilyas Kashmiri alias Abu Mohammad, JeM’s Amir for KPK, who personally addressed the gathering. He is a high-value target wanted in India, closely connected to JeM founder Maulana Masood Azhar, and one of the principal figures in JeM’s operational restructuring after Operation Sindoor,” the earlier HT report quoted one of the people.
An assessment suggests that the rally’s real objective was recruitment for JeM’s training facility at Mansehra, known as Markaz Shohada-e-Islam, which has been undergoing expansion since Operation Sindoor, said another person.
The the timing and location of the rally point to an attempt to normalise recruitment in the guise of religious-political gatherings, the person said.
