JeM militants may target Indian Parliament again at behest of Pak's ISI: Intelligence tip-off

Representational image

New Delhi: The intelligence agencies were reportedly tipped off about Jaish-e-Muhammed (JeM) planning a “spectacular” attack on Parliament at the behest of Pakistan's ISI to avenge the Indian Army's surgical strikes in PoK.

According to the Times of India, Pakistan's spy agency ISI has instructed the JeM cadres to carry out a spectacular attack in India.

Citing unnamed intelligence sources, the report claimed that JeM chief Maulana Masood Azhar is “thinking about attacking the Indian Parliament again”.

In 2001, a Jaish module led by Afzal Guru had targeted the Parliament.

An intelligence agency and the CID department of J&K Police have been tipped off about the plan, the report said, adding the terror operatives have been asked to “make every possible attempt to once again target Parliament”.

And in case they fail to attack Parliament, they were instructed to target other prominent landmarks such as the Delhi Secretariat, Akshardham and the Lotus Temple, the report said citing documents with the intelligence agencies.

Part of their plan is to target crowded places like markets and places of prominence.

According to the report, this information has been forwarded to all field officers and “attempts are being made to foil any such attempt”.

It said that the greatest threat to the capital is from JeM and a splinter group named Jaishul-Haq Tanzeem, headed by Maulana Abdur Rehman.

The splinter group reportedly played a key role in the hijacking of the Indian Airlines Flight IC-814 to Kandahar, Afghanistan.

According to an earlier security alert, two terrorists were said to be heading towards Delhi last week and the intelligences agencies are now trying to ascertain whether that report is connected to the latest input.

Intelligences agencies are also trying to ascertain whether the latest input is in any way connected to an earlier security alert in which it was said that at least two JeM fidayeen were heading towards Delhi in a commercial vehicle.

Citing intelligence sources, the report said that the terrorists were armed with Kalashnikovs and other deadly weapons.

Both JeM and Jaishul-Haq Tanzeem are Pakistan-based terror outfits.