ISI stamp on Pulwama

The Indian Army’s assertion that spy agency ISI was involved in the Pulwama attack has queered Pakistan’s diplomatic pitch. The General Officer Commanding of the 15 Corps, Lt Gen KJS Dhillon, didn’t mince words while calling the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) the brainchild of the Pakistan army and saying that the latter, along with the ISI, were controlling the terror outfit. The brazen swiftness with which the Masood Azhar-led JeM claimed responsibility for the attack has left no room for doubt about its powerful backing. Pakistan PM Imran Khan ought to find out why JeM, which his government supports, has admitted its role rather than seeking actionable evidence from India.

While claiming that it had no role in the Pulwama carnage, Pakistan has sought UN intervention to reduce bilateral tension. However, JeM’s admission will make it increasingly difficult for the neighbouring country to play the ‘victim’ card. In a pre-emptive communication to the UN, Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has red-flagged the ‘threat of use of force by India’. Nevertheless, the international body is likely to take Pakistan’s frantic pleadings of innocence with more than a pinch of salt.

The ISI-handled JeM, formed by Azhar after he was released in exchange for passengers of the hijacked IC-814 flight of Indian Airlines in 1999, has also been accused earlier of carrying out major terror strikes on Indian soil, including the ones on Parliament House, Pathankot airbase and the army camps in Jammu and Uri. It’s an open secret that Azhar enjoys military and political patronage in Pakistan. In the wake of the Pulwama attack, the Indian Army has quickly managed to eliminate the Jaish leadership in Kashmir. A far bigger challenge is to keep the local youth away from the sinister influence of the spy agency. Top officers have appealed to the parents of gun-toting youngsters to persuade them to surrender before it’s too late. The two-pronged strategy of exposing Pakistan’s nefarious designs and reaching out to the Valley residents can go a long way in curbing the epidemic of radicalisation.