As an unknown terror outfit has claimed responsibility for killing Kashmiri Pandit employee Rahul Bhat at Chadoora in Budgam district on Friday, Northern Command Army Commander Lieutenant General Upendra Dwivedi on Monday said that Pakistan has created proxy outfits to give indigenous colour to the ongoing terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir.
Quoting Lt General Upendra Dwivedi, a news agency reported that proxy terror outfits like The Resistance Front (TRF), Peoples' Anti-Fascist Front (PAFF), Gaznavi Force, United Liberation Front, Geelani Force, Lashkar-e-Mustafa, Lashar-e-Islam and Jammu and Kashmir Freedom Fighter have been claiming responsibility for terror attacks, particularly selective killings.
The Army Commander said that these proxy outfits have been created by Pakistan just to hoodwink the world due to international pressure to stop sponsoring terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir.
Important to mention here that a little-known terror outfit, Kashmir Tigers, claimed responsibility for Bhat's killing on Friday.
The Jammu and Kashmir Police on the other hand said that terrorists of Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) were involved in the killing of a Kashmiri Pandit employee.
TRF - a Lashkar offshoot in J&K
After the abrogation of Article 370 and 35-A in August 2019, a new terrorist outfit in the name of TRF emerged in the spectrum of J&K's terrorism.
Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police Dilbag Singh had earlier told that TRF, a front of the LeT, was promoted by Pakistan and had been created in August following the reading down of Article 370.
Intelligence agencies said it was bid by Pakistan to give TRF an indigenous shade, but this outfit was backed by Lashkar-e-Taiba. Pakistan has been smuggling weapons from across the border to arm this terror outfit.
The police have collected evidence to establish that TRF was an outfit of terrorists from the LeT and Jaish-e-Mohammed.
"Post-August 5 last year, there was international pressure on Pakistan to stop militancy, so Lashkar floated TRF. It is just a shadow of LeT," IGP Kashmir, Vijay Kumar had also stated in a press briefing, recently.
Selective killings aim at keeping terrorism alive in Valley
The news agency further reported that Lt General Upendra Dwivedi said that the targeted killings of Kashmiri Pandits and non-local labourers by terrorists were to keep terrorism alive in Kashmir.
He said that the recent killing of non-local labourers, Kashmiri Hindus, and cops of Jammu and Kashmir Police is an indication of frustration among terror groups and their mentors sitting across the border.
He said the incidents of attacks against non-local labourers and Kashmiri Pandits have been analyzed and appropriate steps are being taken to face these challenges.
