The 26 August attack, on Pulwama's district police lines in Jammu and Kashmir, which claimed the lives of eight security personnel, has come under the scanner as questions have been raised over whether the attack could have been prevented in the first place.
Three militants belonging to the Jaish-e-Mohammad were killed in the encounter. According to a Times of India report on 30 August, security forces were given "two specific inputs" by the Intelligence Bureau regarding the infiltration of militants from across the border.
The forces were given the two inputs, tagged as “high priority”, on 23 August and 24 August. While the first one intimated the security forces about the infiltration of seven JeM militants from the Poonch sector of J&K, the second one said that four more JeM militants had slipped in from Gurdaspur in Punjab.
Also Read: Eight Security Personnel Killed in Encounter in Pulwama
The report further stated eight of these 11 militants may be on the run, either in Kashmir or Punjab – news that has put the security forces on alert. Government officials are concerned that these militants may be planning to carry out an attack on a big-scale.
Police and security forces in Jammu and Kashmir have also intercepted communications indicating the possibility of major fidayeen attacks in the Valley around Eid-ul-Azha festivities – beginning on 2 September. Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kashmir Zone, Munir Khan, has told The Quint that the security and intelligence agencies had intercepted a telephonic conversation between Jaish-e-Mohammad’s Pakistan-based commander Waleed and local operatives of the designated global terrorist group (Read the full story here).
Growing JeM Influence in J&K?
Meanwhile, IGP Muneer Khan has also pointed towards the growing influence of JeM in the Kashmir.
As per a report in Greater Kashmir, the IGP has said that while militants belonging to the Hizbul Mujahideen and Lashkar-e-Taiba outfits have been "going underground", those belonging to JeM were assuming a "frontal role".
Our investigations reveal that Jaish cadre has taken a frontal role in carrying out strikes on the government forces.IGP Muneer Khan
Greater Kashmir reported that a police source indicated that the JeM militants taking charge of carrying out 'fidayeen attacks" was part of a new policy "devised by those across the LoC”. This, according to him, was being done in order to "save the remaining militants of Hizbul Mujahideen and the LeT”.
Also Read: No One Harmed Us Despite Militancy: Kashmiri Pandits in Pulwama
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