Imran Khan still forum hunting on Kashmir, Lashkar reactivates terror camps
PAKISTAN/INDIA Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, who had lamented the lack of support in the international community for his Kashmir agenda this week, will keep up his diplomatic offensive against India at the United Nations General Assembly. Back home in Pakistan, the terror groups have been preparing for an offensive of a different kind and have reactivated their terror training camps.
Army Chief General
Bipin Rawat had this week confirmed that Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed had reactivated the Balakot training camp that had been bombed by the Indian Air Force fighter jets just seven months earlier. Indian counter-terror operatives have, however, told Hindustan Times that the Balakot training camp run by terror group Jaish was just one of the many terror camps that had been quietly reopened in recent weeks. Hafiz Saeed’s LashkareTaiba and JamatudDawa, Indian counter-terror operatives said, have also opened their terror factories shut down earlier under intense international pressure following the Pulwama bombing in February that killed 40 CRPF troopers in Jammu and Kashmir. The reopening of the terror camp coincides with Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s efforts to internationalise the Kashmir issue at both military and diplomatic levels after India scrapped Jammu and Kashmir’s special status.
Imran Khan and his delegation have raised Kashmir at every forum and meeting and, by his own admission, done everything possible. He listed out the world leaders he has spoken to, and not necessarily at the UNGA — US President Donald Trump, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Germany’s Angela Merkel and France’s Emmanuel Macron. Imran Khan rued this week that he was “a bit disappointed” by the response that he had received from the international community. As part of its double-barrelled offensive over Kashmir, counter-terrorism operatives speak of efforts by the Lashkar-e-Taiba to launch its own version of recruitment drives in tribal areas of Swat, Peshawar, Quetta and Illaqae-Ghair for a fresh crop of terrorists. There are also reports that the Lashkar, founded by Hafiz Saeed back in 1990, has also reopened its two aquatic training facilities in Mangla (Mirpur) and Head Maral (Sialkot). (Hindustan Times)