Jammu, Poonch, Apr 4—Lashkar-e-Tayyba and Jaish-e-Mohammad plan to recruit around 200 youth from the border districts of Poonch and Mendhar in order to augment the shortage in their ranks.’
According to highly placed sources, the top commanders of the two terrorists outfits are working in close coordination to ensure that youth of the area join the militant ranks. In order to lure the youth of Poonch and Mendhar, sources said Saiful Rehman, divisional commander of Lashkar-e-Tayba and Saiful Qari, divisional commander of Jaiesh-e-Mohhammad have promised a monthly salary to these youths for three months and after that they will be taken to Pakistan for training.
In a startling revolution it was also revealed that a team of locals has been constituted as recruiting board to identify the local youth, who can be lured successfully into anti-national activities. This team moves with the top militant commanders of the area and motivates the local youth for crossing the border.
The impressionable youth are made to study literature and watch CDs containing inflammatory speeches of militant leaders which exhorts them to seek revenge for the atrocities being committed against the Muslims across the length and breadth of globe.
As per the militant plans, these youth would be first indoctrinated with militant ideology and thereafter taken across the border to Lashkar-e-Toiba camps spread across Pakistan and Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK).
The camps and recruitment centers are spread across the length and breadth of Pakistan and PoK in Muzaffarabad, Lahore, Peshawar, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Karachi, Multan, Quetta, Gujranwala, Sialkot, Gilgit (in the Northern Area of PoK), etc.
LeT reportedly has 2,200 offices across Pakistan These youth would be taught in handling sophisticated weapons which includes AK series rifles, LMG/HMG’s, Hand Grenades and sophisticated communication systems. As per reliable sources, the movement of the terrorists have been facilitated to a great extent due to the reduction of troops in the areas as a number of army pickets have been recalled on the pretext of a fall in militancy in the area.
Local, however, opine that militants are waiting to spread their wings as they have spotted an opportunity in the demilitarization move of the army. People, who have worked with the army are particularly perturbed as they feel that they would be targeted by the terrorists.
A local official on the condition of anonymity said that they are keeping a close watch on the situation and every effort would be made to thwart the designs of anti-national elements.
The LeT’s professed ideology goes beyond merely challenging India’s sovereignty over the State of Jammu and Kashmir. The Lashkar’s ‘agenda’, as outlined in a pamphlet titled Why are we waging jihad includes the restoration of Islamic rule over all parts of India.
Further, the outfit seeks to bring about a union of all Muslim majority regions in countries that surround Pakistan. Towards that end, it is active in J&K, Chechnya and other parts of Central Asia. Hafiz Saeed, a scholar of Islam, has said that the purpose of Jihad is to carry out a sustained struggle for the dominance of Islam in the entire world and to eliminate the evil forces and the ignorant.
He considers India, Israel and US to be his prime enemies and has threatened to launch Fidayeen (suicide squad) attacks on American interests too. The Lashkar-e-Toiba does not believe in democracy and nationalism.
According to its ideology, it is the duty of every ‘Momin’ to protect and defend the interests of Muslims all over the world where Muslims are under the rule of non-Muslim in the democratic system. It has, thus chosen the path of Jihad as the suited means to achieve its goal. Cadres are drawn from the Wahabi school of thought.