Pak-backed Jaish-i-Mohammed planning to spread mayhem

The Jaish-i-Mohammed umbrella group is headed by Maulana Azhar Masood, who was one of the three militants released in exchange for passseners of the hijacked Indian Airlines plane to Kandahar.

According to the reports, the groups are so secretive that one cell is not aware of the identity or the operations of the other cell. These groups have been formed to carry out rapid hit-and-run attacks.

The Jaish-i-Mohammed group has been formed by remnants of the banned Harkat-ul-Ansar, who have merged with other groups like Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen, Tehrik-ul-Mujahideen and Harkat-E-Jehad-Islami with the Pakistan army reportedly loaning them some special service group commandos and ex-servicemen.

The Pakistani army through Jaish-i-Mohammed is also trying to revive dreaded outfits like Al-Umar Mujahideen and Al Fateh in Srinagar city. However, the other major mercenary group Lashkar-e-Toiba is staying aloof from the umbrella grouping.

V N Kabu, Deputy Inspector General of BSF, said that Al-Umar commander Mushtaq Latram, who was also released along with Azhar, had reportedly got in touch with his cadres in Srinagar city asking them to re-activate their operations.

The DIG said Latram had got scant response as most of his group had disintegrated after his arrest by BSF troops in 1993. There were also reports that ISI has drafted another prominent mercenary Mast Gul of Charar-e-Sharif fame to join Al-Umar ranks for renewed urban campaign in the city.

Reports said, however, that the new umbrella grouping was getting hardly any response to its drive for local recruitment and these efforts were creating confusion in militant ranks.

Stung by failure in its local cadre drive, the Jaish commanders have sent SOS for infiltrating massed mercenaries across LOC.

According to Defence Ministry officials there are approximately 3,000 mercenaries camping in various training camps and launch pads awaiting infiltration into Jammu and Kashmir.

To check the infiltration of these mercenaries, Defence officials said the state-of-art early warning systems (EWS) and upgraded surveillance systems had been installed along the LOC.

Meanwhile in Jammu, Defence Minister George Fernandes today ruled out any change in the security set-up along the LoC and International Border with Pakistan after Hizbul Mujahideen’s ceasefire, and admitted inadequacy in security arrangements for the Amarnath pilgrimage.

"The security set-up along the Indo-Pak border will remain the same and no change will be made in it even after Hizbul’s ceasefire," Fernandes told reporters here.

Security arrangements along the Line of Control and IB were adequate as per requirements, he said.

The Minister admitted inadequacy in security arrangements for Amarnath devotees but said "whatever necessary security arrangements are needed, we are doing that".

On talks with militants in Jammu and Kashmir, Fernandes said a dialogue with Hizbul Mujahideen had been set in motion and parameters for talks were being drawn.

He called upon the militant outfits which have not announced the ceasefire to come to the negotiating table to restore peace in the state.

"We want to restore peace and normalcy in Jammu and Kashmir and one process has been started in this direction," Fernandes said.