Politicians including BJP, Apni Party workers were on hit-list of militants

Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, May 7: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has reportedly came across a major network of Over Ground Workers (OGWs) and hybrid militants who had been tasked by Pakistan to target politicians especially the BJP and Apni Party activists in Jammu and Kashmir.
The NIA has audio records and interrogation reports of the OGWs and hybrid militants which revealed that they had been asked to target the political activists in Jammu and Kashmir especially the BJP and Apni Party, which was a little bit soft on the Centre.
“On the directions of Pakistan-based militant commanders in association with the active cadres of militant outfits, one Ishfaq Amin Wani carried out the recce of Altaf Bukhari of JK Apni Party, Hina Bhat of BJP, other BJP workers, court complex, Batamaloo, and Shalteng Camp of CRPF,” sources quoting investigations conducted by the NIA revealed.
The militant commanders of Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), Hizbul Mujahideen and Al Badr were part of the conspiracy and were in regular touch with their top brass based in Pakistan to execute the task but, as per sources, alertness displayed by police and security forces, inputs developed by the Intelligence agencies and due to various other factors, the plot hatched by the militants didn’t succeed.
“United Jehad Council (UJC) chief Syed Sallahuddin had specifically asked the top commanders of the three militant outfits to reach out to all the ex-militants and veteran Over Ground Workers (OGWs) in the Kashmir valley in order to easily channelise funds, weapons and recruit local gullible youths to undertake guerrilla type attacks in the Valley,” sources said.
They added that the OGWs and hybrid militants had conducted recce of multiple targets like politicians and security force camps and most of these were in Jammu and Kashmir and New Delhi.
Mushtaq Ahmad Zargar alias Mushtaq Latram, an ex-filtrated militant of Lashkar-e-Toiba, and Imitiyaz Alam alias Bashir Ahmad Peer of Hizbul Mujahideen were among the masterminds of this conspiracy.
Detailed communication via platforms such as Telegram, Signal, WhatsApp and Facebook have also been generated by the militant outfits.
The groups had decided to adopt a hit-and-run strategy and target focus on selective individuals, especially minorities, non-locals, police and security personnel, and domiciled individuals who shifted to Kashmir, sources said.
The Resistance Front (TRF) recruited students as active militants and gave them small arms to carry out attacks.
The OGWs were grouped into strikers or hybrid militants and given the role of either logistical support or active killing, depending on which group they were categorised in.
Sources said after the abrogation of Article 370, there was a significant reduction in the number of terror-related incidents in the Kashmir valley, which was not well taken by Pakistan and militant outfits.