New Delhi, August 12, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) has tightened its operational control over Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Hizbul Mujahideen following Operation Sindoor, with intelligence inputs indicating a significant restructuring of the groups’ activities along the Line of Control (LoC), officials said.
According to intelligence assessments cited by officials, LeT has increased its activity while JeM and Hizbul Mujahideen have remained relatively subdued. A key change is that operational decisions are now reportedly being overseen directly by ISI officers rather than the individual leadership structures of the three outfits.
Officials said a Brigadier and a Colonel have been assigned to supervise operations involving the three groups, with infiltration-related decisions reportedly requiring their approval. They identified the officers as Brigadier Iqbal and Colonel Owaiz.
An Intelligence Bureau official said the restructuring had resulted in greater coordination between the groups.
“There is complete operational synergy following this restructuring of the top command,” the official said.
Intelligence agencies have previously reported that more than 500 terrorists are waiting across the border for opportunities to infiltrate India through the LoC. Officials said the earlier pattern involved groups of five or six terrorists from individual outfits attempting infiltration. Under the reported new arrangement, teams are smaller and may comprise one operative each from LeT, JeM and Hizbul Mujahideen.
Officials said the instructions for infiltration are now being relayed through ISI personnel rather than directly from the leadership or handlers of the three terror groups.
Security analysts believe the changes could reflect a broader recalibration following Operation Sindoor. Dr Abhinav Pandya, founder of the Usanas Foundation, said several Pakistan-based terror groups were deliberately maintaining a low profile while reassessing their strategy.
Pandya also pointed to Hizbul Mujahideen’s diminished operational presence in Jammu and Kashmir following the abrogation of Article 370 as one factor behind the reported restructuring.
He said the ISI was also seeking to shield the identities of terror-group chiefs and reduce direct links between Pakistan and potential attacks.
According to officials, the strategy is not limited to infiltration across the LoC. The ISI is also attempting to recruit young people in Jammu and Kashmir, with intelligence inputs suggesting that religious scholars based in Afghanistan and Africa are being used to reach out to and radicalise youth.
Officials said recruits could subsequently be trained for lone-wolf attacks and in making improvised explosive devices (IEDs) using locally available materials.
The reported strategy, officials said, is aimed at creating greater operational deniability and reducing the direct trail to Pakistan in the event of an attack.
Security officials also said Pakistan was seeking to maintain what they described as “radio silence” while strengthening its international image. They warned that any attack conclusively linked to Pakistan could trigger a strong response from Indian security forces and damage Islamabad’s international standing.
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