Pakistan Reactivates 70 Terror Launchpads, 800 Militants Poised to Infiltrate J&K

The Pakistan establishment aims to exploit the current global focus on the Middle East conflict and the ongoing state elections in India to facilitate the infiltration, an official said.

Global attention has largely been centred on developments in the Middle East following the conflict between the US, Israel, and Iran. Even as Pakistan attempted to facilitate talks between the US and Iran, which failed, its Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), along with the army, has directed the reactivation of terror launchpads in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

Amid these global developments and the ongoing assembly elections in various states in India, the Pakistan establishment is believed to be seeking an opportunity to step up infiltration efforts, an official said.

The numbers have been rising steadily, with several terrorists being moved into Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and kept ready on the launchpads for infiltration into Jammu and Kashmir.

Intelligence inputs indicate that at least 70 launchpads are active across the border, including around 10 along the International Border and the rest along the Line of Control (LoC). Estimates suggest that nearly 800 terrorists are currently waiting for an opportunity to infiltrate.

An official from the Intelligence Bureau said that the infiltration strategy has been revised after several attempts to enter Jammu and Kashmir in recent months were foiled due to heightened vigilance by security forces along the borders.

"The plan now is to attempt coordinated infiltrations from multiple entry points to stretch security forces. Groups of 10 to 15 terrorists may be pushed in simultaneously, with the expectation that at least a few will manage to get through," the official said.

He added that Pakistan is seeking to take advantage of ongoing developments in India and abroad, in the hope that any operational gap could be used to facilitate infiltration.

A sense of urgency has reportedly set in after Operation Sindoor in May last year, in which Indian armed forces targeted and destroyed terror infrastructure in Pakistan and PoK. The operation was carried out in response to the Pahalgam attack in April last year that left 26 Indian tourists dead.

Since then, Indian forces and security agencies have thwarted multiple infiltration attempts. Sources indicate that Pakistan's ISI and the army are facing pressure from terrorist groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba over the lack of operational activity in Jammu and Kashmir.

Officials said Jammu and Kashmir remains central to the functioning of these groups, making continued unrest a key objective for the Pakistan establishment, particularly in the context of local dynamics.

Officials said terrorist groups continue to use the Jammu and Kashmir issue as a key recruitment plank. Intelligence inputs suggest that the ISI is seeking to revive attacks in the region, which would require multiple successful infiltration attempts. However, local terror networks have been significantly weakened, and even over-ground worker (OWG) support systems have struggled to expand under sustained security pressure.

The agency is believed to be focusing on deploying trained, battle-hardened operatives from across the border, who are considered more capable of executing high-impact attacks than local recruits.

"The plan appears to involve pushing in 10 to 15 operatives initially, followed by attempts to stage a larger strike in the Valley," an official said.

- IANS