Army personnel at the scene of a gunfight with suspected militants in Pampore, south of Srinagar, on Monday. AFP

Mukesh Ranjan

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, October 10

Islamabad’s overture of asking its Army and the ISI to reign in terror outfits could only be a ploy to dodge the Indian establishment and the international community, feel officials of the Intelligence Bureau (IB), as according to one of the intercepts, handlers of a terror group were heard directing their men on the ground to “make India bleed”.Thus, for the past one week, the IB has been issuing regular updates on possible terrorist attacks in the country. Intelligence officials, while sharing the details of their intercepts with The Tribune, are of the view that the targets could be big cities and “engaging security forces in Jammu & Kashmir is just a ploy on part of jihadi groups”.The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) today issued an advisory asking states to be extra vigilant against attempts by terrorists and subversive elements to disrupt peace and ignite communal tension during the festival season. The MHA has told the police of major cities (Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad) to be extra vigilant during the Dussehra, Durga Puja and Moharram festivities.IB sources said: “For now, the entire security mechanism is focused on the Indo-Pak border and also on Jammu and Kashmir. Terrorist groups would look to use this as a diversionary tactic and attempt a major strike in India.” They also went on to add that even the overtures of the civil government in Pakistan, which directed its Army and the ISI to reign in terror outfits, was also a ploy to “fool New Delhi as well as the international community”.After providing safe abode to LeT chief Hafeez Sayeed and Hizbul Mujahideen boss Sayed Salahuddin at Lahore-based 4 corps formation of the Army, officials of the Pakistan forces are desperate to prove a point and hit back, the IB has learnt. “They will sanction as many strikes as possible and go all out to aid terrorists,” an IB official said. The recent visit by General Raheel Sharrif to the LoC was also a diversionary tactic to make India believe that there would be retaliation on the border.

250 terrorists looking to ‘avenge’ LoC strikes

• At least 250 terrorists belonging to three Pak-based terror groups are active in the Valley, trying to target security forces to ‘avenge’ the surgical strikes carried out by the Army.
• Government sources say most belonging to LeT, JeM and HM infiltrated before the surgical strikes early on September 29 and have been instructed by handlers across the border to target security forces in the Valley. PTI