ISI’s Two‑Front Strategy in Kashmir: Infiltration Plans, Threat Letters and a Push for Over‑Ground Workers

New Delhi’s security outfit is buzzing with activity. Fresh intelligence points to a carefully‑co‑ordinated plan by Pakistan’s Inter‑Services Intelligence (ISI) to sow chaos in Jammu and Kashmir – not with a single strike, but with a two‑pronged approach that feels almost cinematic.

First, the ISI appears intent on swelling its so‑called over‑ground worker (OGW) network. These are local assets who can provide food, shelter and logistical cover for militants. According to an official from the Intelligence Bureau, the agency is desperate to embed more of these hands‑on helpers across the Valley, ensuring that any infiltrating fighter finds a safe house within minutes of crossing the Line of Control.

Second, and perhaps more alarming, is the alleged plan to push a fresh batch of 100‑150 terrorists into the region over the next few months. The numbers are not random; they come from a detailed assessment of recent chatter among proxy groups that operate under the banners of the United Liberation Council and the Resistance Front – both known front‑organizations for Jaish‑e‑Mohammed and Lashkar‑e‑Taiba respectively.

Adding a creepy layer to the plot are a series of threat letters that have started circulating in the Valley. One set warns Kashmiri Pandits not to relocate, while another tells migrant workers to pack their bags and leave Jammu and Kashmir “immediately.” The letters are oddly specific – they list full names, residential addresses and even phone numbers. “It shows the proxies have done their homework,” the IB officer noted, “and it makes the threat far more tangible.”

The recent killing of a head constable and two migrant labourers in separate attacks appears designed to reinforce those warnings. Security officials say the murders were meant as a grim reminder that the threat letters are not idle rhetoric.

All the while, the traditional infiltration routes along the Line of Contact remain heavily guarded. Nevertheless, with a growing OGW base and the fine‑tuned intelligence these groups seem to possess, the risk of a coordinated infiltration surge cannot be dismissed. Experts warn that if security forces get pulled into chasing phantom threat letters, the ISI could slip more militants across the border under the radar.

Beyond the direct terror angle, there are also whispers of attempts to stir communal tensions – a classic play to divert attention and create further instability. As one senior analyst put it, “When you have a community on edge, the police and intelligence machines have to split their focus, and that’s exactly what the ISI wants.”

For now, Indian agencies are juggling two urgent priorities: neutralising the immediate threat from the threat letters and tightening border surveillance, while simultaneously hunting down the covert OGW network that could enable a larger infiltration. The coming weeks will likely reveal whether the ISI’s diversion tactics succeed or backfire.