Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) has assumed direct operational command over three major terror outfits — Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), and Hizbul Mujahideen — in a significant restructuring that intelligence officials say followed Operation Sindoor. The shift strips the groups' own leadership of autonomous decision-making and places two ISI officers, identified as Brigadier Iqbal and Colonel Owaiz, in charge of all three outfits' cross-border activities.

Key Developments

According to intelligence officials, no operational move by any of the three groups can proceed without clearance from Brigadier Iqbal or Colonel Owaiz. Previously, each outfit maintained separate command centres and independent operational heads overseeing infiltration into India. That structure has been dissolved.

A notable tactical change has also emerged in infiltration patterns along the Line of Control (LoC). Where groups earlier sent five to six terrorists across together, the ISI has now capped infiltration cells at three operatives per attempt — one each from Jaish, Lashkar, and Hizbul Mujahideen, rather than a single-outfit team. Officials describe this as a deliberate move to enforce 'complete operational synergy.'

Why the ISI Restructured Now

An Intelligence Bureau official said the restructuring reflects a recalibration triggered by Operation Sindoor, which altered the security calculus on both sides of the border. Dr. Abhinav Pandya, founder of the Usanas Foundation, told reporters that most of these groups are 'deliberately lying low as they are recalibrating.'

Notably, Hizbul Mujahideen has been largely unable to sustain operations since the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir. Dr. Pandya said the ISI's takeover also serves to shield the identities of the outfits' top commanders, providing deniability in the event of an attack.

'Pakistan also will be very careful not to be caught anytime there is an act of terror. They will do everything to cover their trails and hence are trying to execute attacks in the hinterland through their proxies,' Dr. Pandya said.

The Lone Wolf and IED Threat

Beyond LoC infiltration, officials warn the ISI is expanding recruitment inside Jammu and Kashmir, though it is reportedly relying less on local scholars. Instead, it is using intermediaries based in Afghanistan and Africa to contact and radicalise youth remotely.

Once recruited, these individuals are to be trained in lone wolf attack tactics and in assembling Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) using locally sourced materials — a method designed to minimise traceable links back to Pakistan.

Officials note that intelligence agencies have reported over 500 terrorists waiting on the Pakistani side of the LoC, ready to attempt infiltration into India.

India's Hardened Security Doctrine

The restructuring comes against the backdrop of a fundamental shift in India's counter-terror posture. Officials confirmed that under the revised doctrine, any act of terror will no longer be treated merely as a cross-border strike but as an act of war against India.

Officials add that Pakistan is acutely aware of this change and is consequently seeking to maintain 'radio silence' while projecting a moderate international image — an effort reportedly aided by paid pressure groups and think-tanks. Any attack traced back to Islamabad risks both a military response and significant reputational damage internationally, officials noted.

How India's security agencies respond to this restructured threat architecture — particularly the lone wolf and IED pipeline — is expected to define the next phase of counter-insurgency strategy in Jammu and Kashmir.