New Delhi, August 6, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Following two recent terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir, Indian security agencies are closely monitoring what officials describe as an alleged attempt by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) to revive terrorism in the Union Territory through a revised operational strategy.
According to officials familiar with intelligence assessments, the recent attacks were claimed by The Resistance Front (TRF), widely regarded by Indian agencies as a proxy of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). However, intelligence inputs suggest that future attacks may no longer be claimed in the name of the TRF or Lashkar.
An Intelligence Bureau official told IANS that the ISI has allegedly directed Lashkar operatives to exploit the networks of the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) and attribute future attacks in Jammu and Kashmir to the terror outfit.
“The ISI has decided that while Lashkar would carry out the attacks, responsibility for future strikes would be attributed to the ISKP,” the official claimed.
According to security officials, such a strategy would provide Lashkar-e-Taiba and its handlers with a degree of operational deniability while complicating investigations by Indian security agencies.
Officials noted that Indian agencies possess extensive intelligence on Lashkar-e-Taiba and TRF networks operating in the region. However, comparatively limited information is available regarding ISKP’s activities in Jammu and Kashmir, where its presence is believed to be relatively small.
Intelligence officials said ISKP has primarily focused on online radicalisation efforts in Jammu and Kashmir rather than establishing a significant ground-level operational network.
“The ISKP has shown interest in expanding its operational footprint in Jammu and Kashmir, but the ISI has so far been reluctant, fearing it could create friction with established Pakistan-backed outfits such as Jaish-e-Mohammad, Lashkar-e-Taiba and Hizbul Mujahideen,” an official said.
Another official suggested that the proposed arrangement could benefit both groups. While Lashkar would continue executing attacks, attributing them to ISKP could enhance the latter’s propaganda and online recruitment efforts by projecting it as an emerging force in the region.
Officials also pointed to recent reports indicating that Pakistan’s intelligence establishment has allegedly facilitated operational coordination between Lashkar-e-Taiba and Islamic State-linked elements in Pakistan’s Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa regions, where security forces have faced attacks from insurgent groups, including the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
According to the officials, following the reported destruction of Lashkar’s training infrastructure at Muridke near Lahore, portions of its training activities have allegedly shifted closer to the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, where joint interactions with ISKP-linked operatives are said to be taking place.
Security agencies believe Pakistan’s intelligence establishment may adopt multiple approaches to rebuild terror infrastructure in Jammu and Kashmir, including attempts to recruit local operatives and establish fresh networks of overground workers (OWGs) who do not have previous police records.
Officials maintain that despite these intelligence inputs, security forces remain alert and confident of preventing any sustained revival of terrorism in the Union Territory through continued surveillance and counter-terrorism operations.
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