Jammu, June 17
Agencies in Pakistan, opposed to the proposed Vajpayee-Musharraf talks in Delhi, have sent messages to the divisional and district commanders of the Lashkar-e-Toiba and the Jash-e-Mohammad to carry out “spectacular” strikes against the security forces and soft targets to foment violence.
These instructions, according to the state government functionaries, have been sent to inflate the level of turmoil and chaos in the state which could cast its dark shadow on the summit meeting. Under the instructions the two militant outfits have been asked to disturb the ensuing annual Amarnath Yatra, which is scheduled to start from July 2.
The government sources said the Lashkar-e-Toiba activists have been directed to plant IEDs at different places on the 325-km-long Jammu-cave route. Three days back, five BSF jawans were wounded in an IED blast and the explosive had been planted between Pahalgam and Chandanwari much in advance of the plan of sending the security forces to sensitise the entire mountain route three weeks before the start of the yatra.
The commanders of Jash-e-Mohammad have been asked to strengthen their activists for carrying out armed and grenade attacks on the security forces. Both these outfits have been directed to concentrate their activities at Pahalgam, the base camp for the yatra, so that attack on members of the minority communities could force Delhi to adopt tough postures against Gen Pervez Musharraf.
The leaders of these two outfits have been also asked to bank on grenade and rocket attacks on the camps and convoys of the security forces so that the government was forced to withdraw some battalions of the troops from the LoC to look after the internal security. This would make the LoC more porous than it is at present, facilitating large groups of infiltrators to sneak into Jammu and Kashmir. A senior officer manning a central security agency said during the past 15 days over 75 infiltrators, equipped with sophisticated weapons and high grade explosives, have sneaked into Kashmir from across Uri, Kupwara and Bandipore. At least 100 crossed into the Jammu region from across Poonch and Rajouri districts.
Reports received here from across the border said anti-dialogue agencies had decided to upgrade the control station in Pakistan by installing highly sophisticated communication system which could enable them to monitor day-to-day activities of the militants operating in Jammu and Kashmir. The control station will also channelise all its resources for increasing material aid to the militants which would be in the shape of weapons, explosives and funds.
The divisional and district commanders of these two militant outfits have been asked to submit the list of their demands and requirements to the control stations which would be examined thoroughly. These commanders have informed the agencies in Pakistan that they are running short of weapons, ammunition and funds.
Another instruction from these agencies is that the divisional commanders should motivate local youths to join their outfits. So
far,
both these outfits have not more than 20 per cent representation from the local youths. Now onwards the ratio should be 60 per cent foreign mercenaries and 40 per cent local youths. It is in this context that rebel leaders have started carrying out forcible recruitment of local boys.Six local boys, who gave the slip to their captors, have taken refuge in an Army camp in Jammu. They have informed the Army that they were whisked away at gunpoint while they were going to school.
Agencies in Pakistan have been reportedly worried over the way people in various parts of the state have been giving specific information to the security forces regarding the hideouts and plans of the militants which resulted in marked increase in the elimination of the rebels. The Pakistani agencies have asked the “commanders” of the two rebel outfits to use money power to motivate people to stop cooperating with the security forces and instead pass on information about the security camps and movement of troops so that ambushes are laid to draw blood from the security forces.
Senior government functionaries said elaborate security arrangements were being made to make the one-month-long yatra an incident-free event.
