Jaish recced NSA's office

Director General of Police (DGP) Dilbag Singh said the Jaish-e-Mohammed had used the arrested chief of its newly floated Lashkar-e-Mustafa Hidayatullah Malik to do a recce of the office and the residence of National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval in New Delhi. “Hidayatullah Malik was also used to further Jaish’s plan to carry out attacks, both in the union capital and J&K,” he said.

However the DGP said that the “coordinated efforts” of Anantnag-Jammu Police “thwarted major attempts of Jaish and other Pakistan backed militant outfits to carry out these attacks.”

He termed the arrest of Hidayatullah Malik as a ‘big achievement.’

Singh was addressing media here in Jammu. “Not only this, Pak backed militant outfits have established militant networks in Punjab to smuggle weapons from Bihar to Kashmir,” the DGP stated.

“On direction from Ilayas Doctor – a Pak-based handler, Hidayatullah went to Delhi and did recce of National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval’s office and residence areas. He also sent that video to his handler in Pakistan,” the DGP said.

Singh said, “Jaish-e-Mohammed wanted to target places not only in J&K, but also in New Delhi by using local militants for recce to plan militant attacks. It has come to the fore with the arrest of Hidayatullah Malik.”

With the arrest of both the chiefs of newly floated Lashkar-e-Mustafa (LeM) and The Resistance Front (TRF), he said, they were able to foil attempt of Pakistan backed militant groups to give indigenous (local) character to militancy in J&K in a bid to refuel militancy.

The LeM and TRF were floated by Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba respectively in J&K on the backing of Pakistan and both these groups claimed responsibility for militant attacks, said DGP.

He said that police were tracking the leadership of both the newly created militant groups.

The DGP said, “Hidayatullah Malik belonging to Lashkar-e-Mustafa was arrested recently from Kunjwani, Gangyal, Jammu district. He was active in militancy related activities for a long time as Over Ground Worker (OGW) and later on, on the directions of Jaish-e-Mohammed, he established a new outfit, Lashkar-e-Mustafa.”

In South Kashmir, Singh said, “Malik started militant activities and now, he was trying to establish his hideout in Jammu so that militancy related activities can also be carried out in Jammu, besides Kashmir.”

The DGP said that Hidayatullah Malik tried to establish a network so that weapons could be transported to Kashmir after being smuggled from across the border (Pakistan) or through tunnels or through drone droppings.

“He had established another network with his accomplice stationed in Punjab to smuggle weapons from Chhapra area of Bihar. So far, over 7 pistols have been brought and distributed for different militancy activities,” the DGP said.

Quoting the “startling revelations that emerged during interrogation of Hidayatullah Malik”, Singh said, “We have also been able to know about a network that has also been established by him with the help of his contacts in Punjab to bring weapons from Chhapra area of Bihar.”

He said, “In many militancy related activities carried out by Jaish-e-Mohammed in 2018, militants used to cross over here using tunnels from Pakistan and they were being received by a Kashmiri militant namely Ashiq Nengru. Hidayatullah Malik was also the associate of Nengru.”

Hidayatullah Malik also confessed his hand in looting of Rs 60 lakh cash from a bank-van in Shopian along with other accomplices who too were identified, he said.

Besides, he said, “Zahur Rather alias Khalid alias Sahil who was heading TRF, has also been arrested from Bari Brahmana, Samba. He worked as OGW for a long time. He is an old trained militant. Initially, he was working with Hizbul Mujahideen and then he took arms training across the border in Pakistan. On his return, he was accompanied by five foreign militants from Rajouri, the DGP added.

“He remained active for five years in Kashmir and surrendered in 2006. In 2019, he rejoined militancy following directions from Pakistan handlers and he was made the chief of TRF.

The DGP said that he had established a network in Kashmir which was busted recently. “Eight members of his network have been identified and they are being interrogated,” Singh said.

He said that Rather was involved in the killing of three BJP leaders and a police official in Kokernag. The DGP said that attempts were being made by Pakistan to reactivate Al-Bader in J&K.