Lashkar launches online magazine, says 2018 will be tough for agencies
NEWDELHI: Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-taiba (LET), responsible for the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, has scaled up its propaganda in the Valley by launching its online magazine and claiming that it was the “common man’s struggle” in Kashmir and the year 2018 will be “tough for Indian army and other occupational forces in Kashmir”.
The first issue of Let’s Kashmir-specific online magazine “Wyeth” carried an interview with terror outfit’s spokesperson Dr Abdullah Ghaznawi, besides other propaganda material like a list of attacks in 2017 where its cadres were involved. LET had announced in February that it will issue such a magazine.
To a question on the LET being a “proxy” of the Pakistan army, Ghaznawi says: “LET is the common man’s struggle. It represents true aspirations of J&K people .”
He claims that “proxy” is an “obsolete” term when it comes to the Pakistan army and states that other countries with “less divine faith” and “high military numbers” use proxies, but the Pakistani army can deal with any issue which comes to them.
He adds that Pakistan has “moral and legal” obligation to support the “struggle” in Kashmir, which is an “unfinished” agenda of partition.
On fringe terror groups (a possible reference to group led by former Hizbul commander Zakir Musa which has claimed affiliation with al Qaeda), he says: “We have been distributing literature based on Quran and Hadith to show these groups actually are misled (sic) people and helping the Indian cause.”
Reacting to Let’s claims, an army officer deployed in the Valley said: “Dealing with this kind of online propaganda and building a counter-narrative is necessary to bring normalcy in the Valley” .
Arun Chaudhary, a retired IPS officer who served as former Intelligence Bureau special director and dealt with Kashmir issue while in service, says: “LET has always been tech-savvy outfit. It is trying to rope more local boys into militancy and these prospective recruits are proficient in use of social media. Therefore, an online magazine is best way to reach out to them in the Valley.”
OFFICIALS SAY DEALING WITH MILITANTS’ ONLINE PROPAGANDA, CREATING A COUNTERNARRATIVE IS NEEDED TO BRING NORMALCY IN VALLEY