How Did Pakistan’s Local Terror Narrative Fall Apart?

New Delhi, Sep 5 (NationPress) For a considerable period, Pakistan has sought to localize the Kashmir conflict. The country established the Hizbul Mujahideen with the primary goal of creating a locally-driven terrorist organization. Following the downfall of the Hizbul Mujahideen, it formed a proxy group for the Lashkar-e-Taiba known as The Resistance Front (TRF).

For decades, Pakistan's objective has been to incite local participation in acts of terror within Jammu and Kashmir. This strategy aimed to capitalize on the deniability factor to mitigate international backlash. The narrative was crafted to suggest that the local populace desired separation from India, thereby distancing Pakistan from any perceived involvement.

However, Indian authorities have consistently exposed this deception. Recently, in the wake of the Pahalgam attack, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) made it abundantly clear that the attackers had ties to Pakistan and that the incident was orchestrated by Islamabad.

A detailed report from the Save Youth Save Future Foundation, a well-known Kashmiri NGO, has disclosed that 60% of the unmarked graves in Jammu and Kashmir are occupied by foreign terrorists. Additionally, the report discovered that 30% of these graves belong to local militants, while a mere 0.2% (just 9 graves) are attributed to civilians.

This report addresses two critical points. Firstly, it confirms that a greater number of Pakistani terrorists have operated in Kashmir compared to local insurgents. Secondly, it dispels allegations of widespread civilian casualties.

Titled “Unraveling the Truth: A Critical Study of Unmarked and Unidentified Graves in Kashmir Valley”, the report states that 2,493 graves belong to foreign terrorists, while 1,208 are local militants. Nine graves are identified as civilian, and 70 are associated with tribal invaders from the 1947 conflict.

Pakistan has long propagated the notion that local elements are behind terrorist activities. Furthermore, it has attempted to convey a narrative through its representatives in international forums that mass civilian killings are occurring in Jammu and Kashmir. This report effectively debunks that myth.

During Operation Sindoor, Pakistan's information campaign reached its zenith. Official claims were made that India had requested Pakistan to cease the operation. Both official channels and social media were exploited to disseminate misinformation, aiming to instill panic among Indian citizens and sow confusion within the international community regarding India's actions.

Moreover, Pakistan attempted to incite anger among Sikhs in India by falsely alleging that India had attacked the Nankana Sahib Gurdwara in Pakistan. Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, head of Pakistan's Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), went so far as to claim that India had launched missile strikes on Amritsar.

While India has consistently managed to unveil Pakistan's deceptions, the findings of this report and the recent investigations by the NIA will serve to bolster New Delhi's narrative. Officials from the Intelligence Bureau assert that this report, which counters Pakistan's false claims regarding the graves, will be pivotal in exposing Islamabad to the international community. The NIA's investigation has also dealt a significant blow to Pakistan, confirming that the three terrorists involved were of Pakistani origin and tracing their funding routes, which undeniably link back to Pakistan.