ISI pushing proxies to launch psyop in J&K, Punjab to create fear, disrupt order

New Delhi, Aug 10 (IANS/WISHAVWARTA) The Indian Intelligence agencies have warned that the ISI is now pushing its proxies to launch major psyops in both Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab. Outfits such as the Lashkar-e-Tayiba and Khalistan Zindabad Force (KZF) are planning on running massive campaigns in these states by using their proxies to create fear and panic in the minds of the people.

An Intelligence Bureau official said that both these groups would run similar campaigns in both states. Calls are being made through the proxies of these outfits to issue messages calling on the youth to target migrant workers, government staff and also police personnel in these states.

For the Lashkar-e-Tayiba this is an old game and it seeks to revive it in Jammu and Kashmir.

A few years ago the Lashkar-e-Tayiba, through its proxy The Resistance Front, had carried out targeted killings of migrant workers and even some police personnel. The official said that the calls for killing migrants and police personnel is louder this time around.

In Jammu and Kashmir, two back-to-back incidents were reported in which a Head Constable was targeted and two migrants were killed.

The Lashkar-e-Tayiba has been using the name of another proxy, the United Liberation Council (ULC) to make these calls.

In Punjab, the KZF and Babbar Khalsa International is using the Sikhs for Justice (SJF) and other outfits which are politically affiliated abroad, to put out these messages.

An official explained that the larger message that these groups want to send out is for the police to come out of government control and join their movement. The intention is to create a rift within the department so that law and order is largely compromised.

Such calls have been made in the past, but have not worked for these groups. Now they are attempting the same again with the hope that they can disrupt operations within these departments.

By targeting the police personnel through targeted killings, the intention is to send a message to their colleagues to either leave or face death, the official added.

Another official said that even if they do not succeed, they still manage to create panic in the state. No one likes to live under a constant atmosphere of threats and panic, the official explained.

This is what these terror groups want to achieve and hence the decision was taken to launch massive psyop campaigns in these states, the official further explained.

Officials say that in recent months, there has been a push to smuggle smaller arms into these states.

The ISI-backed groups based out of Pakistan like in the past are not attempting to push bigger weapons such as the AK-47s. The arms that are being smuggled today are pistols and revolvers.

Once these weapons make their way into these states it is meant to be given to gangsters or terror networks so that they can carry out killings. If these smaller networks manage to carry out the hit job, it could be passed off as a home grown or indigenous problem and not an act that has the backing of Pakistan, officials say.

Since the bigger attacks in these states are harder today, the ISI has been directing its proxies to carry out such acts so that these states remain on the boil.

In order to achieve this, these elements are running psyops, disinformation campaigns and also targeted killings.

The larger agenda is also to distract the security agencies so that infiltrations can be attempted in Jammu and Kashmir, while a large arms push could be made into Punjab, the official further added.

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