ISI Pushes Terror Sympathisers Into Mainstream Politics To Evade Crackdown In J&K: Agencies

 

Srinagar, May 31: Pakistan’s intelligence agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), has allegedly directed its network of Over Ground Workers (OGWs) in Jammu and Kashmir to infiltrate mainstream national political parties in an attempt to escape intensified anti-terror crackdowns, officials from central security agencies said.

 

 

 

According to officials, recent interrogations of OGWs arrested by Srinagar Police revealed that some of the accused had links with national political parties operating in Jammu and Kashmir. Security agencies believe the strategy is aimed at providing terror sympathisers with political cover and helping them avoid surveillance and law enforcement action.

 

 

 

 

Officials said the ISI is attempting to reshape its terror strategy in Kashmir by reviving old, locally-originated militant outfits from the early 1990s. The move is reportedly intended to project terrorism in the Valley as “indigenous” while concealing Pakistan’s direct role in cross-border terrorism.

 

 

 

 

Security agencies further stated that Pakistan is under continued global scrutiny, particularly from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the international watchdog monitoring terror financing and money laundering. As a result, the ISI is allegedly trying to reduce visible links between Pakistan-based handlers and terror activities in Jammu and Kashmir.

 

 

 

Investigators said OGWs play a critical role in supporting terror ecosystems by arranging logistics, safe shelters, transportation, recruitment, funding, and communication for active militants. By embedding such operatives within legitimate political structures, handlers across the border aim to create a protective shield around their networks.

Officials warned that security agencies are closely monitoring suspicious activities and political infiltration attempts across the Union Territory. They added that strict action will continue against individuals found supporting terrorism directly or indirectly.

 

 

 

The development comes amid intensified counter-terror operations across Jammu and Kashmir, where multiple terror modules, OGW networks, and funding channels have been dismantled in recent months by security forces.