BackForeign Secretary briefs ambassadors on terrorist plot foiled by Indian forces last week
Shringla’s briefing was the first of several planned in the coming daysOn 19 November, a truck carrying the four terrorists belonging to the JeM was intercepted near Nagrota in Jammu and Kashmir
PremiumNEW DELHI: Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla on Monday briefed a select group of ambassadors and heads of missions on a plot by terrorists belonging to the Pakistan based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) group in Nagrota in Jammu and Kashmir, which was foiled by Indian security forces last week.
Shringla’s briefing was the first of several planned in the coming days and it also focused on the implications of the incident on security, diplomacy and the India’s battle against terrorism, a person familiar with the developments said. Other secretaries will also be briefing other groups of diplomats, the person said adding that the “idea is to share information as widely as possible with the international community."
On 19 November, a truck carrying the four terrorists belonging to the JeM was intercepted near Nagrota in Jammu and Kashmir. The four were killed in a gun battle and a large amount of ammunition and explosives recovered from their possession. India suspects the terrorist were aiming to disrupt local elections that is to take place in the union territory this week in a bid to show the world that violence in Jammu and Kashmir continues unabated. This is despite New Delhi’s efforts to deliver development to the region in a bid to lure the youth away from joining terrorist groups.
The ambassadors were “provided with a detailed information docket giving the details of the incident as it transpired as well as list of items and munition that were recovered from terrorists clearly indicating their Pakistani origins."
“It was shared with them how preliminary investigations by the police and intelligence authorities, markings on the recovered AK47 rifles and other items lead us to believe that the terrorists belonged to Pakistan based Jaish-e- Mohammad," the person cited above said. “They were also briefed on how the terrorists got into India which is now clear through the discovery of an underground tunnel in the Samba sector," the person said.
This year, India had witnessed 200 incidents of terrorist violence while almost 200 terrorists had been killed, the person said.
“In terms of the bigger picture, it was clear that the terrorists were planning the biggest terror attack in India since Pulwama in February 2019 and the implications can be guessed. This is part of ongoing efforts to sabotage the DDC (district development council) elections and to carry out a terror attack aimed to coincide with the anniversary of 26/11 Mumbai terror strikes," the person said.
The diplomats “were sensitized about our concerns regarding Pakistan’s sustained efforts to destabilize the situation in Jammu and Kashmir and to subvert local elections and democracy," the person added.
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