ISI's Big Play: How LeT-JeM Explosive Experts in Bangladesh Plot India Strike

This comes in the backdrop of the agencies picking up information about both the Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba attempting to re-activate their modules in West Bengal and the northeastern states. An official said that the fact that these terror groups are sending in explosive experts to Bangladesh is a sign of something big to come. A high alert has been declared in the border areas as there would be attempts to infiltrate into India and carry out bomb blasts, another official said.

Indian agencies have learnt that there is a lot of ISI-backed activity that is taking place in Bangladesh. While West Bengal and the northeastern states have always been under threat by Bangladesh-based terror groups, this time the scenario is different. Pakistan, which has the backing of a friendly regime in Bangladesh, is planning something huge, and the recent movement of terrorists, coupled with the intercepts that are being picked up, suggests that the ISI is planning a major operation in India.

According to the information that the agencies have, Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba would be acting together in this operation. The decision to carry out joint operations in the future was taken following a directive by the ISI. Following this, the top brass of both terror groups met in Pakistan and discussed how they would go forward under one command structure. It was decided to send in explosive experts to Bangladesh. A nine-member team was assembled to train operatives in Bangladesh with the intention of carrying out serial blasts in India.

Several teams of both the Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba have visited Bangladesh many times to interact with the local terror groups. Recently, a close aide of Hafiz Saeed was in Bangladesh to meet with the local terrorists and motivate them. Intelligence agencies have also reported that sometime this month, the chief of the Lashkar-e-Taiba, Hafiz Saeed, is slated to visit Dhaka and interact with both terrorists of his group as well as others.

The planning for the attack is in its final stages, and these groups may try and execute it once Saeed is finished with his Dhaka visit, officials say.

The very fact that the ISI has already begun covering its trail is an indication that an attempt to strike would be around the corner. The activation of the sleeper networks in the northeastern states and West Bengal is a clear sign that a big strike is being planned. Further, many madrasas in Bangladesh have been temporarily shut down. These madrasas were set up with the specific intention of indoctrination and radicalisation.

All these are ISI-run madrasas where the preachers are from the Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed. Some of them had come up with a specific intention to carry out serial blasts in India. Now that the planning is in the final stages, these madrasas have been temporarily closed.

An official explained that this is a textbook Pakistan operation. If these madrasas remain open at a time when a big attack is being planned, the trail would very easily lead up to the ISI. The grilling of these madrasa members during an interrogation would reveal who was behind the radicalisation and indoctrination of the youth who ended up joining these terror groups.

Experts say that this is a classic ISI operation. This time, it has found a scapegoat in Bangladesh. Even if an attack is carried out, the trail would lead to actors in Bangladesh. This is a way of shifting the blame away from Pakistan, as the trail would lead to Bangladesh. This gives Pakistan the deniability factor while the world would blame Bangladesh.

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- IANS