6 Months After Op Sindoor, Lashkar And Jaish's New J&K Attack Plan

Fresh intelligence inputs accessed by NDTV reveal an alarming escalation in Pakistan-backed terror activity targeting the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. Six months after India's Operation Sindoor, a precision counter-terror campaign launched in response to the Pahalgam terror attack, the report indicates that Pakistan-based terror groups particularly Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) are mobilising for a new wave of coordinated strikes.

According to the intelligence dossier, terror groups have stepped up infiltration, reconnaissance, and cross-border logistics since September. Multiple LeT and JeM units reportedly entered Jammu and Kashmir through infiltration routes along the Line of Control (LoC), aided by Pakistan's Special Services Group (SSG) and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) operatives.

Sources said a LeT unit led by terrorist Shamsher conducted aerial reconnaissance using drones, identifying vulnerable LoC gaps, an indication of possible fidayeen-style assaults or weapon drops in coming weeks.

Intelligence assessments further reveal that Pakistan's Border Action Teams (BATs) comprising former SSG soldiers and terrorists have been redeployed across Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK), signaling potential cross-border attacks on Indian positions. This marks one of the most concerted post-Operation Sindoor escalations, suggesting Pakistan's renewed strategy to "export instability" into the Union Territory.

High-level meetings in PoK during October 2025 reportedly brought together senior members of Jamaat-e-Islami, Hizbul Mujahideen, and ISI officials. These gatherings, according to intercepted communication, finalised plans to revive dormant terror cells, issue monthly stipends to ex-commanders, and direct groups to avenge losses inflicted during Operation Sindoor. ISI handlers, the report notes, have instructed terror tanzeems to intensify "retaliatory attacks" against Indian security forces and political workers.

Adding a dangerous new dimension, LeT operatives have begun mapping local sympathizers and assets across Kashmir valley, reviving their human intelligence network that had largely been dismantled after India's intensified counter-terror operations earlier this year. Parallel narco-terror and arms smuggling channels are also being expanded to finance terror activities, echoing patterns seen in Punjab and parts of Rajasthan earlier this year.

The latest developments come amid a fragile calm in Jammu and Kashmir, where local elections and a gradual return of tourism have been hailed as signs of normalcy. However, security agencies caution that the ISI-backed terror grid is seeking to derail this progress, especially after Pakistan faced global isolation for sponsoring terrorism. Since April 2025, Islamabad's deepening economic crisis and political instability have further emboldened hardline factions within its establishment to reignite proxy conflicts along the LoC.

Officials in New Delhi have described the intelligence as a "critical warning" and indicated that the Indian Army and intelligence apparatus are on high alert across northern command sectors. Operation Sindoor, which dismantled multiple LeT and TRF modules earlier this year, may soon enter a renewed phase if Pakistan's "export of terror" continues unabated.

This intelligence inputs also come at a time when India is conducting its biggest Trishul Tri-service exercise on the western borders of Gujarat and Rajasthan. As winter nears, a period traditionally marked by reduced infiltration, analysts warn that Pakistan's renewed aggression could mark the beginning of a long winter of terror in Jammu and Kashmir, testing India's vigilance once again.