New Delhi, May 7 (IANS) Pakistan Army is backed by its Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), which has been covertly supporting the activities of anti–India terrorist outfits, including Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), Hizbul Mujahideen (HM), among others and has systematically coordinated financial, logistics, doctrinal and military support to these outfits including providing direct combat trainings.
Post Financial Action Task Force (FATF) sanctions, Pakistan military has tried to a give a cosmetic makeover to terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir by giving new slick labels – such as The Resistance Front (TRF), People Anti-Fascist Front (PAFF), Kashmir Tiger (KT), etc., to designated terrorist organisations such as LeT and JeM. Rebranding of these terror outfits has been done to avoid wrath of the global terror watchdogs and to depict terrorism as a home-grown indigenous resistance. Pakistani military officers pay regular visits to training camps of these terror outfits to supervise terrorist training sessions.
Terrorist groups such as LeT and JeM have been provided with infrastructure concealed in government facilities to carry out their operations in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK). Several training camps (Markaz), detachments and launch pads of these terror outfits are currently being run near army facilities, cantonments, Basic Health Units (BHU) and Primary Health Centers (PHC). Detachments such as Sarjal – Tehra Kalan (JeM), Mehmoona Joya – Sialkot (HM) are being operated in the campus of BHUs, providing necessary camouflage to activities of the terror groups.
Terrorist groups have been provided with military grade communication equipment such as Long Range (LoRa)/Ultra Sets, Digital Mobile Radio (DMR), etc. to by-pass technical monitoring. Amongst various other methods, Pakistan military is also strengthening Pak-TSPs signal across International Border (IB) and Line of Control (LoC) in order to use spill over to aid infiltrated terrorists. Detachments such as Sarjal – Tehra Kalan, houses High-frequency (HF) communication set-up for planning and coordination with infiltrated terrorists.
While detachments and launch pads are extensively used for staging arms training activities, religious indoctrination and other support activities such as funding, propaganda and expansion are being carried out with the backing of Pakistani establishment in larger facilities that are located well inside the country such as Markaz Taiba (LeT) in Muridke and Markaz Subhan Allah (JeM) in Bahawalpur. These Markaz not only serve as residences to major commanders of the outfits but also serve as epicentre for radicalization and various training courses on intelligence, arms handling, etc.
Additionally, the commanders of terrorist groups have used these facilities (Markaz) to deliver anti-India rhetoric to masses in order to motivate the recruits for Jihad against India like the hate speech delivered by JeM chief Masood Azhar in December 2024 in Bahawalpur’s Markaz Subhan Allah.
Similarly, camps such as Markaz Abbas Kotli (JeM) and Markaz Ahle Hadith, Barnala (LeT) are being extensively used for indoctrination, scouting and as a base for planning terror activities including infiltration.
In addition to providing logistics, financial support and operational bases to terror outfits, Pakistan army is strategically facilitating training of terrorists. Terrorists of LeT, JeM and Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) are being trained by Pakistan Special Services Group (SSG) in jungle/guerilla warfare. Camps and detachments such as Syedna Bilal (JeM), Shawai Nalla in Muzaffarabad (LeT) and Maskar Raheel Shahid Kotli (HM) have been extensively used to impart arms training and physical conditioning to cadres of the terror outfits under the aegis of Pakistani army and ISI.
Here’s a brief summary of some of the important terror facilities in Pakistan:
Markaz Subhan Allah, Bahawalpur: Operational since 2015, Markaz Subhan Allah is the main centre of JeM for training and indoctrination and serves as the terror organisation’s operational headquarter. It is associated with terrorist planning by JeM including the Pulwama attack on February 14, 2019. The Markaz consists of residences of JeM Chief Maulana Masood Azhar, de-facto Chief of JeM Mufti Abdul Rauf Asghar, Maulana Ammar and other family members of Masood Azhar. Masood Azhar has made several addresses from this facility extolling anti-India rhetoric and appealing to the youth to join Islamic Jihad. JeM conducts regular arms, physical and religious training for its cadres at Markaz Subhan Allah.
Markaz Taiba, Muridke: Established in the year 2000, Markaz Taiba is the ‘alma mater’ and the most important training centre of LeT located in Nangal Sahdan, Muridke, Sheikhupura, Punjab province. The complex holds arms and physical training facility, as well as dawa’h and radicalisation/indoctrination for terror entities both from within Pakistan and abroad. This Markaz serves as a mushrooming ground for radicalisation of students to motivate them to join armed jihad. It can be compared to a terror factory. This Markaz enrols around 1000 students in different courses annually thereby highlighting the role of this Markaz in churning out terror entities for LeT annually. Osama Bin Laden had financed Rs 10 million for construction of a mosque and guest house within the Markaz Taiba complex. At the behest of Pakistan’s ISI, all preparators of 26/11 Mumbai attack including Ajmal Kasab were imparted ‘Daura-e-Ribbat’ (intelligence training) at this facility. David Coleman Headley and Tahawwur Hussain Rana, the prime conspirators of 26/11 Mumbai attacks, had visited Muridke along with Abdul Rehman Sayed ‘Pasha’, Haroon and Khurram (co-conspirators) on instructions of Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi.
Sarjal Tehra Kalan: The Tehra Kalan Sarjal terror facility, located in the Shakargarh Tehsil of Narowal District in Punjab, is the main launching facility of JeM for infiltration of terrorists into Jammu and Kashmir. As part of concerted strategy of Pak-ISI to conceal terror infrastructure in government buildings, Sarjal facility is being operated from the premises of a Primary Health Centre (PHC) in Tehra Kalan Village of the area. This JeM facility holds special prominence due to its close proximity of around six kms from IB in Samba Sector of Jammu. This facility serves as the base for the digging of cross-border tunnels for infiltration of terrorists. It also serves as the launching base for
drones by which arms/ammunition/narcotics and warlike stores are dropped into the Indian territory. JeM terrorists Mohammad Adnan Ali ‘Doctor’ and Kashif Jan regularly visit this facility and JeM de-facto chief Mufti Abdul Rauf Asghar supervises overall operations of this facility. This facility is actively being used by JeM to infiltrate terrorists and for smuggling arms and ammunition into India.
Mehmoona Joya facility, Sialkot: As another example of Pak-ISI establishing terror facilities in government buildings, Mehmoona Joya facility of Hizbul Mujahideen is located in premises of Bhutta Kotli Government Basic Health Unit in Head Marala area of Sialkot District of Punjab. This facility is used for infiltration of Hizbul cadres into Jammu region of J&K. Hizbul Mujahideen cadres are also given training for terrorist operations and handling of weapons by the senior commanders at this facility. Mohd Irfan Khan ‘Tanda’, the commander of this HM facility, has been involved in carrying out several attacks in the Jammu region, especially in the capital city of Jammu. Around 20–25 terrorists are usually present at this facility at any point of time overseeing infiltration bids and terrorist operations in India.
Markaz Ahle Hadith Barnala, Bhimber: Located on the outskirts of Barnala town on Kote Jamel road is prominent Markaz of LeT in PoJK Ahle Hadith, which is used for infiltration of LeT terrorists and arms/ammunition into Poonch, Rajouri-Reasi sector. This Markaz is also used as a staging centre for LeT terrorists before infiltrating into Indian territory. It can accommodate 100-150 cadres. LeT terror operatives Qasim Gujjar ‘Mahrore’, Qasim Khanda and Anas Jarar operate from this Markaz and reside in its vicinity. Operational commanders of LeT visit this Markaz for organising and supervising terrorist activities of LeT/Jamaat-ud-Dawa/Jammu & Kashmir United Movement.
Markaz Abbas, Kotli: Markaz Saidna Hazrat Abbas Bin Abdul Mutalib (Markaz Abbas) is an important terror facility of JeM located in Kotli. Hafiz Abdul Shakoor Qari Zarrar, a ‘Shura member’ of JeM Council and close associate of JeM top commander Mufti Abdul Rauf Asghar, is head of this Markaz. Qari Zarrar is directly involved in planning and execution of terrorist attacks in J&K and is wanted by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) of India. Markaz Abbas can accommodate around 100-125 JeM cadres. JeM’s terror activities, including infiltration of cadres from the Poonch–Rajouri sectors, are planned and executed from this facility.
Maskar Raheel Shahid, Kotli: Maskar Raheel Shahid, located in Kotli District, PoJK, is one of the oldest facilities of Hizbul Mujahideen. It can accommodate around 150–200 terrorists. Hizbul terrorists visit this facility particularly for taking arms firing training and specialised physical training. In addition to providing conventional arms/physical training, this camp specialises in training cadres for BAT/sniping actions and fighting in hilly areas and survival training.
Shawai Nallah camp, Muzaffarabad: Also known as Bait-ul-Mujahideen, Shawai Nallah camp is located near Chelabandi bridge on Muzaffarabad-Neelum Road in Muzaffarabad, PoJK. It is one of the most important camps of LeT. Attackers of 26/11 Mumbai attack including Ajmal Kasab had received terrorist training here. This camp is used for recruitment, registration and training of LeT cadres and has been functional since early 2000. It is used as base camp for imparting Daura-e-Aam training, which includes religious indoctrination, physical training, tactical training regarding use of GPS, map reading and arms training for rifles and grenades. Shawai Nallah camp is also used from time-to-time to organise specialised weapons training for LeT cadres. Pak-ISI also facilitates by providing trainers of Pakistani Army to provide weapons training to LeT terrorists. It is a large training camp which can accommodate 200-250 LeT cadres at a time. This camp is also used as a staging camp for LeT terrorists before infiltrating into Indian territory. LeT terrorists camping here are sent to launching facilities located opposite North Kashmir.
Markaz Syedna Bilal: Markaz Syedna Bilal is the main centre of JeM in PoJK, located opposite the Red Fort in Muzaffarabad. This facility is used as a transit camp for JeM terrorists prior to their launching into J&K. At any point of time 50-100 cadres reside in this facility. JeM operational commander and JeM head of PoJK, Mufti Asghar Khan Kashmiri is in-charge of the facility. Abdullah Jehadi ‘Kashmiri’ and Aashiq Nengroo also operate from this centre. Commandos of Special Service Group (SSG) of Pak Army also impart training to JeM cadres at this facility.
–IANS
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