'Operation Sindoor' fallout: Spooked Pakistan adopts tech-driven, low-profile terror strategy in PoK

New Delhi, Oct 23 (IANS) After 'Operation Sindoor', there was a lull in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK) as the ISI had pulled back all terror facilities and terrorists for the fear of being hit by the Indian armed forces. While terror groups have found it hard to regroup due to lack of resources and low morale, there are attempts now being made to set up terror camps in PoK. However, the fear of being detected has made the ISI change its strategy.

Currently the camps that are being set up are smaller in size. However, the big change is that the focus is more around technology rather than manpower. This is an indicator that future strikes on India would be heavily reliant on technology rather than manpower.

Intelligence Bureau officials say that terror groups such as the Jaish-e-Mohammad and Lashkar-e-Tayiba would use drones to carry out attacks and they are also attempting to add modern technology to boost their fighting skills. In future, equipment to track the movement of the Indian Army and Border Security Force would be used to avoid detection.

Further, the ISI has also provided these terror groups with technology to avoid drone surveillance and air strikes by the Indian Air Force (IAF).

The size of the terror camps is now smaller as ideally, a launch pad or camp would have around 100 members. However, this has been downsized to 50 now as a precautionary measure. Officials explain that this is a strategy to minimise damage in case of a strike by the Indian armed forces.

Prior to 'Operation Sindoor' there would be around 40 to 50 camps that would be in operation, but that, too, now has been reduced to just 8 camps. The strategy is new and is also aimed at minimising damage.

According to the new plan, the aim is to gradually bring back these camps and there would be no knee-jerk reaction this time, since the ISI wants to take no risk. Officials say that this would be the strategy by Pakistan to operate in a minimalist manner. This reduces the risk of a massive loss in the wake of India changing its doctrine on terror from Pakistan.

In the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack, the Modi government made it clear that an act of terror would not be considered to be a cross-border attack, but an act of war. Pakistan may have tried to portray that it came out on top in the aftermath of 'Operation Sindoor', but the reality is that it was badly bruised and its military exposed and embarrassed.

The resurfacing of these terror camps has raised the alertness levels among both the Intelligence agencies as well as the security forces.

Following 'Operation Sindoor', Pakistan had cleared out nearly 400 terrorists from PoK. All of them were waiting along the Line of Control (LoC) and the International Border to infiltrate into Jammu and Kashmir.

Not just the terrorists, but even the Pakistan Rangers who would usually facilitate infiltration into India by the terror groups had cleared out of PoK following the major operation by the Indian armed forces.

Another official said that these developments, although worrisome also signal that Pakistan was spooked by the retaliation by the Indian military.

During 'Operation Sindoor', the armed forces not just hit targets in PoK, but deep within Pakistan as well. Some of the major damages included the destruction of the Lashkar-e-Tayiba’s main training camp in Muridke and the Jaish-e-Mohammad’s headquarters in Bahawalpur.

--IANS

vicky/rad