ISI’s Two‑Pronged Plot in Kashmir: Infiltration Drive and Threat Campaign

New Delhi – The country’s security apparatus is on high alert after fresh intel pointed to a coordinated push by Pakistan’s Inter‑Services Intelligence (ISI) to turn the Kashmiri Valley into a theatre of diversion and infiltration. It isn’t just about gun‑fire; the ISI appears to be using a two‑pronged playbook – a cascade of threat letters to sow panic, and a covert effort to slip hundreds of fighters across the Line of Control.

According to officials from the Intelligence Bureau, the first leg of the plan is to broaden the network of so‑called over‑ground workers (OGWs). These are locals who provide safe houses, food, logistics and the kind of “on‑the‑ground” support that makes a foreign fighter’s life bearable. “They want an expanded OGW umbrella so that any infiltrator can move around undetected,” one senior officer said, his voice betraying a mix of urgency and fatigue.

The second, more alarming leg, aims to get 100‑150 terrorists into the Valley in the next few months. That figure, while unsettling, is not a random estimate – it mirrors the capacity of past infiltration drives that have sparked fresh cycles of violence. To pave the way, proxy outfits such as the United Liberation Council and the Resistance Front – both linked to Jaish‑e‑Mohammed and Lashkar‑e‑Taiba – have begun circulating menacing letters.

These letters are anything but generic. They name specific Kashmiri Pandits, list their home addresses, phone numbers, even the schools their children attend. The same goes for migrant labourers, who receive warnings to quit Jammu and Kashmir immediately. “It’s a very targeted intimidation campaign,” said another IB official. The motive, he added, is to coerce a few high‑profile victims into silence, thereby proving that the threats are real and forcing security agencies to divert resources to protect individuals rather than the broader border.

In the meantime, the grim reality on the ground is already grim. A head constable and two migrant workers were recently gunned down – a brutal reminder that the threat letters are not merely paper‑thin bluffs. Security forces are now juggling two urgent priorities: cracking down on the growing OGW recruitment that is already afoot along the LoC, and preventing a fresh wave of cross‑border infiltration that could tip the fragile security balance.

Adding another layer of complexity, there are rumours of attempts to stoke communal tensions – attempts to provoke religious disharmony that would distract agencies even further. If the ISI’s calculation is correct, a distracted security establishment will give it more breathing room to expand its covert networks and sneak militants across the border, a scenario Indian officials are determined not to allow.