New Delhi – In a sweeping counter-terrorism offensive, India’s ‘Operation Sindoor’ has reportedly struck deep into the terror infrastructure nurtured by Pakistan’s military-intelligence nexus, targeting facilities used by groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), and Hizbul Mujahideen (HM).
Despite international pressure, particularly from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), Pakistan’s Army and its Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) continue to provide covert support to terrorist groups. This includes financial aid, logistics, doctrinal training, and direct combat instruction. In recent years, these groups have been rebranded with names like The Resistance Front (TRF), People’s Anti-Fascist Front (PAFF), and Kashmir Tigers (KT) to evade international scrutiny and portray militancy in Jammu and Kashmir as indigenous.
Terror Camps Hidden in Plain Sight
Terrorist training infrastructure is often concealed within or adjacent to government buildings such as Basic Health Units (BHUs) and Primary Health Centres (PHCs) across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu & Kashmir (PoJK). These facilities provide both cover and logistical support. For example:
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Sarjal-Tehra Kalan (JeM) operates out of a PHC near the International Border (IB) in Punjab, acting as a launchpad for drones, infiltration tunnels, and smuggling operations.
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Mehmoona Joya–Sialkot (HM) is housed within a BHU, coordinating infiltration attempts into the Jammu region.
Pakistan’s military also equips these groups with advanced communication systems like LoRa/Ultra Sets and Digital Mobile Radios to evade surveillance. Signal spillover is strategically used to aid infiltrated terrorists across the IB and LoC.
Major Radicalisation and Training Centres
Key facilities deep within Pakistan and PoJK serve as command hubs and radicalisation centres:
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Markaz Subhan Allah, Bahawalpur (JeM): The group’s main headquarters. Associated with the Pulwama attack (2019), this facility provides arms, religious indoctrination, and public hate speeches by leaders like Masood Azhar.
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Markaz Taiba, Muridke (LeT): Established in 2000, this is LeT’s largest training and indoctrination centre. It has ties to 26/11 Mumbai attackers and serves as a radicalisation ground for over 1,000 recruits annually. Osama bin Laden had funded parts of the facility.
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Shawai Nallah Camp, Muzaffarabad (LeT): Known as Bait-ul-Mujahideen, this is a major LeT camp offering arms training, GPS navigation, and Daura-e-Aam indoctrination. It also served as a training base for 26/11 attackers.
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Markaz Abbas, Kotli (JeM): Headed by Qari Zarrar, a senior JeM leader wanted by Indian agencies, this facility manages infiltration across the Poonch-Rajouri sector and houses over 100 operatives.
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Maskar Raheel Shahid, Kotli (HM): A long-standing training facility for HM, with capacity for 150-200 terrorists. It provides sniper, guerrilla, and BAT (Border Action Team) training.
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Markaz Syedna Bilal, Muzaffarabad (JeM): Acts as a transit and training camp. Run by JeM’s PoJK commander Mufti Asghar Khan Kashmiri, this facility sees involvement of Pakistan’s Special Services Group (SSG) in training recruits.
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Markaz Ahle Hadith, Barnala (LeT): Located in PoJK, it serves as a launchpad for infiltration into Rajouri and Reasi sectors. Operational commanders regularly visit to plan and coordinate terrorist activities.
State-Backed Jihad Infrastructure
These terror camps are not rogue operations—they function under the direct oversight of Pakistan’s military and intelligence agencies. Terrorists are regularly trained by Pakistan’s elite Special Services Group (SSG) in guerrilla warfare, weapons handling, and survival tactics in terrain resembling Jammu and Kashmir.
Operation Sindoor represents India’s intensified response to decades of cross-border terrorism, seeking to dismantle this deeply entrenched jihadist infrastructure supported by the Pakistani establishment. (Source: IANS)
