NIA: Captured militant reveals how Pakistani army, ISI aid the LeT

'Startling revelations'

Ali has made startling revelations, according to Sanjeev Kumar, IG, NIA. He has said that he undertook three rounds of rigorous training in LeT's camps in Manshera, Aksa and Muzaffarabad, where Pakistani armymen were regular visitors. "Pakistani army officers in civilian clothes visit LeT facilities, and are referred to as Major Saheb and Captain Saheb," Kumar said at the press conference where the video was released. "This corroborates the statement made by Md Naveed, another Pakistani national who was arrested after the BSF convoy attack at Udhampur in August 2015."

Ali, alias Abu Saifullah, was purportedly recruited by Jamaat-ud-Dawa, the "charity" run by Hafiz Saeed, and subsequently radicalised by the LeT. The group is currently training 40-50 men from Pakistan and Afghanistan at its training camps. Ali has also told his interrogators that Hafiz Saeed himself led the funeral prayers in absentia of Abu Qasim, an LeT operative gunned down by security forces in Kashmir.

According to the NIA, the tactics used by the captured LeT operatives and the material seized from them suggest they were trained by military. Ali, for example, was using a phone that could send text messages without the use of a sim card. He had a Japanese-made wireless device tuned to the frequency bandwidth of 134-180 MHz, which is only used by the army and the police.

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The agency also claimed to have found on Ali water-proof rubberised maps and complicated grids, which again suggest military aid.

"Modifications done to ICOM RT sets made in Japan to cover a whole range of VHF frequency requires a high-degree of precision engineering. Providing the terrorists with specific grid references or the route to be followed and use of GPS, compass and topographical sheets also establish they were trained and mentored by military experts," the NIA says.

Pulling the strings

LeT, which is said to have links with the Pakistani spy agency, ISI, has set up a "control centre" called Alpha 3 at a tactical high-point in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir to ensure ease of communication with operatives in north Kashmir.

This, the NIA claims, enabled the LeT handlers to remain in constant touch with their operatives, directing them to launch attacks. In the case of Ali, he was constantly told to "exploit the disturbances" in the aftermath of Burhan's killing.

The security forces, it's understood, killed four LeT operatives a day after Ali was arrested. The operation in Monibal, north Kashmir, was reportedly based on information given by Ali.

Ali's statement reflects a lot of the events that have taken place in Kashmir over the past month. There are reports of militants, with their faces masked, attending protest rallies, and there have allegedly been incidents of grenades being lobbed at the security forces from within protesting crowds. The LeT's chief in Kashmir, Abu Dujana, himself is said to have been seen at a rally in Pulwama earlier this month. Hafiz Saeed reportedly confirmed his presence, telling a gathering: "Burhan Wani was martyred. Lakhs of Kashmiris came out to attend his funeral. Did you see a man being carried on the shoulders by the crowd? Do you know who he was? He is the chief of LeT."

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