Pakistan Terror Shifts Base From PoK To Punjab, Terror Camps Coming Up Near Gujarat
Both JeM and LeT are making several masjids for radicalisation in these areas: Reports
New Delhi: Amid irreparable mistrust between people of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir and the Pakistani government, its spy agency Inter State Intelligence (ISI) is now trying to replace traditional Kashmiris involved in terror factories with those from Punjab and other areas.
Having lost both its sympathisers and operatives in PoK due to the ongoing protests in the region, the ISI backed terror groups Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) have now shifted their terror camps in other areas of Pakistan, particularly in Punjab region.
Besides, Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore are also areas where a spike in the recruitment and outreach activities of LeT and JeM have been noted. A sudden increase in recruitment activities has also been noticed in the districts situated near Gujarat border where the groups are trying for rapid expansion which indicates that the next round of terror wave may come from the Western side.
Both JeM and LeT are making several masjids for radicalisation in these areas. The ISI is trying to train LeT (Punjabi faction) with coordinated multi-pronged infiltration, high-mobility underground logistics, and complex urban assault frameworks. These are the modern operational methodologies popularised by Hamas.
Increasing its training programmes in other parts of Pakistan after losing out space in PoK, LeT organized more than ten seven days swimming camps in the last 40 days across Pakistan Punjab.
In August Lashkar organised Information Technology and Artificial Intelligence training of LeT Women Wing in their Markaz Quba in Islamabad where the terror group’s IT cell head and senior commanders took the training sessions. Indian securities agencies expected a surge in “Catfish” accounts in the coming days.
Catfish accounts are fake profiles used on social media or dating apps by people adopting a false identity to trick others into emotional or financial relationships.
Lashkar deputy Saifullah Kasuri was seen having meetings with many managing directors and CEOs of south Punjab based companies for terror funding. Everything happened under the full patronage of the Pakistani government as visuals showed senior commanders of LeT are being provided Circuit House for their stay by ISI in South Punjab.
Interestingly, the LeT and Pakistan Army direct links are out as Abdul Qadir, a former senior Pakistan army officer is now holding a key LeT linked position in Chakwal, Punjab. Security agencies have credible inputs indicating Qadir maintained close ties with United Nations designated terrorist Hafiz Saeed during his military tenure to carry out multiple terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir.
Meanwhile, JeM has rebuilt its headquarters in Bahawalpur, called Markaz Subhan Allah, which is active again. This place was hit by Indian missiles during Operation Sindoor last year. JeM has also started water training of terror recruits in Karachi.
Nasr Javed, LeT’s senior commander with a long operational history, has been made incharge of Markaz Jihad-e-Aqsa in Lower Dir of Khyber Pakhtunwa in Pakistan to oversee Daura-e-Aam (a 21-day beginner’s training) and Daura-e-Khaas (a three-month intensive training) for the newly recruited fidayeens. Javed is believed to have served as a joint planner for the August 2007 Hyderabad terror bombings, and is a key link facilitating cooperation between LeT and JeM.
The Indian security forces recently arrested gangster turned terror operative Shahzad Bhatti and is working to dismantle his recruitment and radicalisation projects undertaken on behalf of Pakistan’s terror groups in Indian border states.
Intel sources say Pakistan is slowly shifting away from arming terrorists with bigger weapons and is trying to popularize light, concealable weapons like 9mm Zigana. This indicates a shift toward equipping underground "hybrid" operatives and sleeper cells. These weapons allow operatives to blend seamlessly into civilian populations before executing targeted point-blank attacks, complicating standard intelligence profiling.
Apart from being in news for anti-Pakistan protests, Rawalakot has also been a hub for anti-India and Hamas activities. Since 90s, Rawalakot has been a money minting place for PoK based Kashmiri radicals who run terror factories under ISI’s command. In February 2025, ISI paraded Hamas cadres on white horses in Rawalakot followed by their meeting with LeT, JeM, HM and ISI officers.
PoK Kashmiris have always had an upper hand in the revenue generated through terror factories setup by ISI in PoK since Pakistan never let any development happen in occupied Kashmir leaving no other source of income.
