As the India-China standoff in Eastern Ladakh continues, Pakistan seems to be busy fishing in the troubled waters. First it has intensified the ceasefire violations to push terrorists across the Line of Control (LoC) into Jammu & Kashmir, and now if reports are to be believed, the ISI Chief has secretly visited Pakistan-occupied Kashmir to meet top terrorist commanders in the region.
A week ago, ISI chief Lt Gen Faiz Hameed, and senior officials of Pakistan Army held a meeting at a guest house in Lower Gojra area of Muzaffarabad (Pakistan-occupied Kashmir) with several terrorists including Mohammed Tahir Anwar, brother of Jaish-e-Mohammed boss Maulana Masood Azhar, IANS quoted a report of Indian intelligence agencies.
As per the intelligence report, Lt Gen Hameed, perceived close to Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, held a long meeting with Chief of Army Staff, Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa, prior to his secret visit to border areas of POK.
“On 6th of May last month, another important meeting between ISI chief Faiz Hameed and PM Imran Khan took place in which Dr Moeed Yusuf, National Security Advisor and Assistant to PM was also present. Several important strategic decisions were taken in this meeting,” says the report as quoted by IANS.
However, contrary to the agenda of discussion, PM Imran Khan, after conclusion of the meeting, publicly denied reports of “infiltration” on LoC in a surprise tweet.
According to a senior official in the Intelligence Bureau, ISI chief’s secret visit to POK was aimed at boosting the morale of training commanders of different terrorist organisations, patronised by the Pakistan establishment to continue executing jihadi attacks inside Indian territory.
“This is not for the first time that the ISI chief and his team of key officials have presided over secret meetings with terror kingpins in Muzaffarabad. For years, ISI’s primary focus has been to foment subversive activities, particularly in Jammu and Kashmir,” the official told IANS.
Meanwhile, three Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorists, including a top commander, were killed in an encounter with security forces in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district on Wednesday. A soldier is reported injured in the gunbattle.
A joint team of Army, police and CRPF cordoned off the village on a specific intelligence input about the presence of terrorists in that area. The gunbattle began at dawn when security forces closed in on the house where the terrorists were present. The terrorists fired at the security forces, triggering the encounter.
It is the second gunfight in the area in two days. On 2 June, two JeM terrorists were killed in Tral area of Pulwama.
With agency inputs