- The terror hit-list targeting Kashmiri Pandit employees shows clear insider involvement: Vaid
- The list includes personal details like addresses, phone, and vehicle numbers of employees
- United Liberation Council, linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba, is blamed for circulating the hit-list
The precise terror "hit-list" targeting Kashmiri Pandit employees in the Valley bears an unmistakable insider imprint, and those who betrayed them must be punished, says former Jammu and Kashmir DGP S P Vaid, demanding an immediate, high-level crackdown to unmask the culprits.
The latest threat letter, circulated online by Pakistan-backed terror operatives - the second in a month - catalogues names, residential addresses, mobile numbers and even vehicle numbers of Kashmiri Pandit employees serving under the Prime Minister's special employment package.
The new "hit list" has been attributed to the United Liberation Council, a Pakistan-based terror group linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba.
Speaking to NDTV, Vaid said the government must go after both - the masterminds behind the hit-list and the mole leaking sensitive personal data to terror handlers across the border.
"Leaking such granular, personal information is clearly the handiwork of an insider. Either someone from within the department or someone in their immediate vicinity is carrying out surveillance and feeding this data to terror handlers. Otherwise, how would Pakistan know their lanes, houses and vehicle numbers?" the former police chief said.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has also termed the fresh threats to Kashmiri Pandit employees as "highly concerning" and asked security agencies to conduct a thorough investigation to trace the source of the intimidation.
Recalling the targeted killings of minority community members in the past, Abdullah has said the administration must act proactively to prevent any repeat of such incidents.
Vaid too said that the threat cannot be taken lightly.
"There is an urgent need for a high-level security action plan led by the Chief Secretary, DGP, ADG CID and other security chiefs, exclusively to protect Kashmiri Pandits. This threat must be taken seriously."
The former DGP also rejected the administration's earlier knee-jerk response of asking Pandit employees to work from home or proceed on leave after the first threat letter.
"That is no solution. Such retreat only emboldens and encourages the enemy," he remarked.
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