ISI's New Kashmir Strategy: How Propaganda Replaces Terror Amid Border Clampdown

There is heightened security at the borders, and infiltrations have almost fallen to nil. In October, an infiltration bid was made by two terrorists. However, both were killed by the alert forces at Kupwara. With infiltrations becoming extremely hard and almost impossible, Pakistan has now chosen to disturb the harmony in Jammu and Kashmir.

Plans are afoot to create communal trouble in Jammu and Kashmir, and to do so, the ISI is trying to launch a massive disinformation campaign.

The ISI has specific wings to launch such campaigns, and it has done so many times in the past. Even in the aftermath of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) being passed, one got to witness plenty of violence in the country. While many internal hands were at play, the propaganda wing of the ISI only added to the problem by putting up fake content to incite the people.

The Intelligence agencies are on high alert to keep a track and also bust such fake information that the ISI is trying to put out relating to Jammu and Kashmir. This wing would once again try and rake up the issues relating to the abrogation of Article 370. There would be a huge misinformation campaign relating to injustice being meted out to the youth of the Union Territory. The main target audience would be the youth. While such campaigns are aimed at creating disharmony, the ISI also wants to indulge in a recruitment programme.

After many infiltration bids were foiled, the ISI has been pushing for a homegrown terror outfit. It wants only locals to be part of it. This saves Pakistan the effort of infiltration bids. Further, it can also portray the Jammu and Kashmir issue as a local one and convey to the international community that it is the people of the UT who want to be separated from India.

Post Operation Sindoor, one did not witness a surge in infiltrations. However, there has been a surge in the number of attempts that have been made. As per estimates by the Intelligence agencies, at least 80 terrorists are waiting to infiltrate. Terrorists have tried using the routes in Uri, Kupwara, Guru, Hiranagar, and Sunderbans.

It is not just the terrorists, but attempts have been made by Pakistani army commandos who are part of the Border Action Team (BAT) to infiltrate into India. Several attempts that were along the Line of Control (LoC) in the Poonch sector have been foiled by the Indian armed forces.

All these attempts, coupled with the fact that local recruitments have come down to nil, have frustrated the Pakistani establishment. While Islamabad is unable to crack the India code, it is facing immense pressure from Afghanistan, the Tehreek-e-Taliban, Pakistan (TTP), and the Balochistan Nationalist Army (BLA).

All these factors have put Pakistan in a bind, and it is desperately looking to divert attention from its own problems. Running a disinformation campaign in Jammu and Kashmir and trying to make the UT burn would create the much-needed diversion that Islamabad is seeking to do.

Pakistan also wants to capitalise on the violence to recruit locals into terror groups. It has been desperately trying to create a local terror group after the Hizbul Mujahideen and The Resistance Front were wiped out of the picture. The fact that the recruitment is not taking place has also frustrated Pakistan immensely. The people of the UT have been yearning for peace, and after a long time got it. Businesses are thriving thanks to the tourism boom, and this has made Pakistan increasingly frustrated.

- IANS