New Delhi, May 25 (IANS) The name Tehreek-e-Taliban Hindustan (TTH) has come up on several occasions. The Intelligence agencies have learnt that the TTH is a propaganda-driven group, and its main aim is to try to create a homegrown outfit so that Pakistan has the deniability factor during any terror attack.

An official explained that the TTH is not just some run-of-the-mill terror group. There is a larger agenda behind the creation of the group. While it is aimed at driving propaganda in India, it is also an attempt being made to link it to the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the official added.

The TTP has wreaked havoc on the Pakistani security forces. The mushrooming of the TTP has been carefully timed. The Pakistanis are attempting to link the TTH and TTP, and the larger game plan is aimed at both India and Afghanistan.

An Intelligence Bureau official said that Pakistan has on numerous occasions falsely claimed that it is the Afghan Taliban who nurtures TTP. It even used this as an excuse to go to war with Afghanistan, the official added. The creation of the TTH and projecting that it is an offshoot of the TTP is a meticulously planned strategy. The ISI seeks to show that apart from Afghanistan, India too has a hand in nurturing the TTP, the official added.

Another official said that linking the TTP and TTH and suggesting that these are Indian creations also comes at a time when India and Afghanistan have reset ties. The Afghan Taliban, which shared a close relationship with Pakistan, has now fallen out, much to the disgruntlement of Islamabad. The Afghan Taliban, since its return, has refused to play puppet, and this has hurt Pakistan no end. The Taliban made it clear that it will not allow Pakistan to interfere with the affairs of Afghanistan.

In the meantime, India reset ties with the Afghan Taliban, and the diplomacy between the two countries is currently a smooth affair. The Pakistanis want to show the world that both India and Afghanistan are behind the nurturing of the TTP, which has become a nightmare for the Pakistani security forces. To push the agenda and fake narrative further, the ISI has created the TTH and wants to suggest that this is an Indian homegrown module, another official said.

Officials, however, point out that in addition to spreading a false narrative, the TTH has a task on hand. It is headed by Shahzad Bhatti, the man in charge of the ISI’s propaganda wing for Indian affairs. Bhatti’s role in the TTH came to light following the arrest of one Sohail, who has had a criminal history. He told the Delhi police that he had been tasked by Bhatti to paint ‘TTH’ on walls in several places in Delhi and Faridabad. He was also instructed to paint a small ’S’ below ‘TTH’ to signal that this is the handiwork of Shahzad, the police learnt.

However, Bhatti’s agenda through the TTH is not only propaganda. He has been building up a network in Delhi and the surrounding areas, only to target police personnel. This is a module in the making with this specific agenda, an official said.

With Bhatti and the TTH, the ISI has very big plans. It hopes to achieve multiple results through this newly created group. The top agenda is to link the TTP and TTH to India and Afghanistan. Secondly, the agenda is to spread a fake narrative in India suggesting that India is actively backing groups such as the TTP to target the Pakistani security forces.

Lastly, the agenda is also to target the Indian police and carry out terror attacks across the country. More importantly, with the TTH, the ISI plans to achieve its longstanding goal of having a strong homegrown terror outfit in India, officials also say.

–IANS

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