New Delhi, June 1 (IANS) Security analysts are pointing towards a new and emerging trend whereby terror groups are not directly involved in acts of terror. Almost all modules that have been busted in recent months do not have any direct involvement of major terror groups such as the Lashkar-e-Taiba, Al-Qaeda, Islamic State, or the Jaish-e-Mohammed.

Each of these modules is either affiliated with or inspired by, and this is a deliberate Pakistani ploy to keep the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) heat away. Moreover, the terror groups mentioned are all designated by the United States, the United Nations and India. Such a designation makes it easier for security agencies to track their networks.

Moreover, being designated a terror group also calls for international-level cooperation when it comes to dealing with their activities. An official explained that Pakistan is using the same strategy when it comes to dealing with groups which are calling for a separate Khalistan nation.

The ISI has been using the gangster network and has deliberately kept the direct involvement of groups such as the Babbar Khalsa International (BKI). The BKI is a designated terror group, and its networks are easier to track when compared to those run by the gangsters, the official added.

An Intelligence Bureau official said that it is a well-known fact that Pakistan funds all these terror groups. On the one hand, it needs to keep terror activities against India alive and on the other, Islamabad cannot afford to come under the radar of international agencies such as the FATF. The monitoring agency is closely watching how funds are being used in Pakistan.

Pakistan has been placed in the Grey List in the past, and with a lot of difficulty, managed to come out of it. Another official said that getting back into the list would have a devastating consequence for Pakistan. Given the state of its economy and the events that are unfolding around the globe, coming under the FATF radar would mean a complete collapse for Pakistan, the official added.

Pakistan watchers say that there is also immense pressure from countries such as China, which has invested heavily in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor Project (CPEC). China would not take it kindly if Pakistan returned to the Grey List. The Chinese are already breathing down the neck of the Pakistanis as they have failed to provide security guarantees. Beijing has faced huge losses due to attacks on its projects.

Security officials note that, while there are many practicalities for Pakistan, the fact remains that the ISI and army would never allow terror attacks against India to stop. It has to keep the pot boiling and would do anything and everything to ensure India is on the boil. The ISI has been tapping its resources in India to help set up modules.

There is also a major push when it comes to literature aimed at radicalising the youth. The official explained that any terror group formed in India will have Pakistan’s blessings, but the direct involvement would be missing. The decision to use gangsters for the Khalistan battle and the Dawood network for terror attacks in the rest of the country is all part of the ISI’s tactic to avoid being confronted about its direct role.

Officials say that India would increasingly have to deal with such modules. These modules would not be linked to just one terror group. There would be terror groups which could follow the ideology of the Jaish-e-Mohammad or Islamic State, or Al-Qaeda. One would also get to see modules that take inspiration from multiple terror groups.

The police have busted a group which was inspired by Al-Qaeda and the Jaish-e-Mohammed. This makes it very hard for investigators to nail the trail. It would make the probe an extremely challenging one, and at times it could hit a dead end owing to the confusion, the official added.

Another official explained that if a terror attack is carried out, for example, by the Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed and the same is claimed by them, investigators would at least have a lead to begin with. The attack style, the networks, and the funding trails are all present in the various dossiers prepared by the agencies for many years. These new modules do not follow the strategy and style of the terror groups that they are inspired by. Hence, the start of such investigations will always remain a challenge, the official also added.

–IANS

vn/skp