The blasts that took place in Amritsar and Jalandhar in Punjab clearly have an ISI imprint, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has learnt
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NEW DELHI — The blasts that took place in Amritsar and Jalandhar in Punjab clearly have an ISI imprint, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has learnt. The twin blasts were carried out on the instructions of ISI-backed handlers based in Pakistan, the initial probe has found.
One significant angle that comes to the fore is the timing of these blasts. They were carried out just days ahead of the anniversary of Operation Sindoor.
The operation was carried out by the Indian armed forces on May 7 to avenge the Pahalgam attack. During the operation, the armed forces took down a significant amount of terror infrastructure in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Pakistan.
Investigators suspect that the blasts in Punjab were meant to send out a message to the security agencies that Pakistan is still capable of hitting India despite Operation Sindoor. While the timing of the blasts is one part of it, investigators also say that the bigger aim was to create panic in the minds of the people.
The blasts also took place at a time when the ISI has been desperately pushing for a Khalistan movement revival in Punjab. An official said that the ISI has been looking for locals who are radicalised to carry out such attacks.
The idea is to pick up radicalised youth and then guide them to carry out low-intensity blasts at regular intervals across the state of Punjab, the official also said. The role of some radical youth has come under the scanner of both the Punjab Police and the NIA.
Another official said the ISI has been creating local cells in Punjab to execute such attacks. They are guiding these persons to carry out blasts and also execute attacks using grenades.
An Intelligence Bureau official said the Punjab Police would need to be on alert as such activities are likely to rise in the days to come. The ISI wants to shift focus away from Jammu and Kashmir temporarily while putting in all efforts into Punjab.
It is the local units that the agencies need to worry about. These persons are new to the trade, and, hence, there is very little police scrutiny on them. Further, these locals are not used for multiple attacks. They are told to strike and then go underground. These persons are given their next assignment only after the cooling period is over.
The official added that in order to continue with this strategy, the ISI would look to recruit at least 100 such youth across the state, the official added.
Officials say that the plan is to attack sensitive and crowded locations. On April 28, the Patiala police busted a module that was backed by the ISI.
It was learnt that this pro-Khalistan module had planned to carry out a blast on a railway track near Shambu. Within 12 hours of the probe being launched, the police arrested Pardeep Singh Khalsa, Kulwinder Singh, Satnam Singh, and Gurpreet Singh.
Another official said the instruction to carry out low-intensity blasts is a planned strategy. Low-intensity attacks do not require heavy ammunition. This makes preparation easier, and the detection also remains low.
There is a greater chance of the plan being foiled if these pro-Khalistan elements attempt large-scale attacks. Planning attacks on a larger scale requires much more effort and time. This, in turn, can lead to information getting leaked and the module being busted, the official also added.
The NIA would look at the larger picture and the direct links that the ISI has to these attacks.
The probe is crucial and comes at a time when the ISI has clearly decided to scale up its activities across Punjab in a desperate bid to revive the Khalistan movement.