No doubt, one has to pat the intelligence agencies that they averted a major tragedy by thwarting the attack on RSS headquarters in Nagpur a few days ago. But, it is a bitter reality that Pakistan born Lashkar-e-Tayyaba has dangerous plans for India. An intelligence source monitoring Lashkar activities in Jammu and Kashmir for the past couple of years stated that the planned attack at RSS headquarters might have been thwarted but several modules of LeT are waiting to strike the nation.
The group that started its operations initially in Kashmir now has spread its tentacles in rest of India. In fact, the group has executed nearly half a dozen major attacks on temples and busy markets in different parts of India in the past one year.
The outfit has over 35 separate modules spread across the country, sources said. Jaki-ur-Rehman Laqvi is the commander-in-chief of Lashkar but the operations in India are under the control of Abu-Alkama. Lashkar has its operational bases in Nepal, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, India and Pakistan. A military source here stated that nearly 100 terrorists in seven separate batches have crossed over to Jammu and Kashmir in May and are based in north and south Kashmir districts of Kupwara and Anantnag. And the fact was substantiated when on June 6, an infiltration bid was thwarted, eight out of 12 terrorists were killed along LoC in Machail sector of Kupwara.
Another major accomplishment on June 5 was the expose of war like stores from a cave in heights of Gurez sector in Kashmir along Line of Control. The ammunition was meant to be sent through the higher reaches of Gurez onwards for the terrorists groups operating in the region. The cache comprised of 14 AK-47/56 Rifles, 6000 rounds of ammunition, one Radio Set, eight UBGL, 30 Magazines, 8 kgs of RDX & Explosives, 17 IEDs and a large quantity of remote switches, timing devices, packed and stored in seven rucksacks.
Army Public Relations Officer, Colonel V.K Batra said that the ammunition was large enough to cause massive destruction in the coming months in state. ?Many more incursions could be expected in coming days since the snow is melting on higher reaches,? said the colonel.
Lashkar is also believed to have scores of supporters inside Indian states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Gujrat, Hyderabad, mostly poor and illiterate Muslims indoctrinated by radical mullahs.
The banned Indian Muslim student wing?Student Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) also sympathises with Lashkar. The group has repeatedly claimed through its journals and websites that its main aim is to destroy Indian republic and annihilate Hindus. Also, it identifies India, Israel and USA as the main centres of infidelity and according to the Lashkar they must be destroyed to promote spread of Islam. Lashkar-e-Tayyaba had links to Jama?at-ud-Da?wah, however Jama?at-ud-Da?wah publicly retracted any association with them after the United States Department of State declared it to be a terrorist organisation. Pakistan denies giving orders to its activities, though there have been several alleged instances of top Pakistani government officials visiting the headquarters of this group.
Guantanamo detainee Khalid Bin Abdullah Mishal Thamer Al Hameydani'sCombatant Status Review Tribunal said that he had received training from Lashkar. Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf banned the group along with four other Islamic groups, in January 2002, amid pressure that followed the 9/11 attacks in the US. By mid-2002 it had renamed itself Jama?at ud Dawa. The massive earthquake in the both parts of divided Kashmir in October 2005 has also affected its fortunes.
Since then, the group has again been allowed to openly collect funds in Pakistan, officially for reconstruction work. Many of their offices have reopened and its members have played a prominent role in rebuilding work. Unlike most other Kashmir terrorist groups, a majority of its members are non-Kashmiri, and its headquarters are also based in Pakistan.
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