- A Pakistan politician claimed his country played a direct role in the Red Fort car bomb attack on November 10
- The bomb killed 15 people and Indian intelligence has linked it to Pak-based Jaish-e-Mohammed terror group
- Sources said a terror cell of doctors was formed by a J&K cleric with direct Jaish-e-Mohammed links
A Pakistan politician has claimed his country had a direct role in the car bomb that exploded outside Delhi's Red Fort on November 10, killing 15 people and injuring over a dozen. Chaudhary Anwarul Haq, 'Prime Minister' of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir till two days ago, told the PoK Assembly, "I said earlier, if you (India) keep bleeding Balochistan, we will hit you from the Red Fort to the forests of Kashmir. By the grace of Allah, we have done it... our brave men have done it."
Pakistan has not formally commented on this statement, though Defence Minister Khawaja Asif declared Islamabad cannot discount the possibility of “all-out war” with India; Islamabad said Pak remains on 'full alert' amid escalating regional tensions.
Pak has repeatedly accused India of fomenting unrest in its Balochistan province, a tactic New Delhi says is used to divert attention from Islamabad-supported cross-border terrorist activity. India has always denied any role in violence in Balochistan.
However, intelligence agencies have linked the car that was detonated outside the Red Fort - a Hyundai i20 stuffed with ammonium nitrate fuel oil, and the terrorist cell behind the plot, to the Jaish-e-Mohammed, one of several Pak-backed groups.
Officials investigating the blast told NDTV the 10-member 'terror doctor' cell was set up by an Islamic cleric from Jammu and Kashmir's Shopian - Maulvi Irfan Ahmed - with direct links to the Jaish; he reportedly arranged meetings with JeM terrorists.
READ | How A J&K Cleric Radicalised 4 Doctors, Started Red Fort Car Blast Plan
Ahmed and a Pak-based terror operative, Umar-bin-Khattab, alias Hanjullah, were the cell's handlers, NDTV was told.
Ahmed identified and indoctrinated doctors from the Al-Falah Medical College in Haryana's Faridabad, including Dr Umar Mohammad, the suicide bomber. The remaining members of the cell, including Ahmed, have been arrested.
READ | 10 'Terror Doctors': The Terrorists Behind Red Fort Bomb, And Their Roles
Meanwhile, intelligence sources also told NDTV Jaish leaders has issued calls for 'donations' to fund more 'fidayeen' attacks on India. PKR 20,000 has been sought from people in the remote Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where the JeM is located.
READ | Jaish Demands Rs 6,400 Donations For 'Fidayeen' Attack On India: Sources
Sources said clues unearthed during the investigation into the Red Fort blast suggested Jaish leaders had called for fund-raising via digital means, including a Pak app called SadaPay. They may also be plotting a women-led attack, sources said.
The Jaish already has a 'women's wing'; terror boss Masood Azhar's sister, Sadiya, was tasked with leading that unit, which was set up after Op Sindoor, India's military response to the Pahalgam attack, wiped out JeM camps in Pak's Bahawalpur.
READ | Sadiya Azhar And Pak Terror Group's Women Wing Link To Delhi Red Fort Blast
One of the key suspects in the Red Fort blast - Dr Shahina Saeed, whose codename was allegedly 'Madam Surgeon' and may have been responsible for financing the attack - is reportedly a member of that unit, which is called Jamat ul-Muminat.
Lashkar, Jaish's new J&K attack plan
Earlier this month fresh intelligence accessed by NDTV suggested an alarming escalation in Pak-backed terrorism in J&K. The inputs indicated major groups, like the Jaish and Lashkar-e-Taiba were mobilising for a new wave of coordinated strikes.
Both are prominent terrorist groups that are financed and supported by the Pak Army and that country's deep state, and have made headlines in India over the past six months, each for an attack that claimed the lives of civilians.
READ | Jaish Vs Lashkar, Key Differences Between 2 Pak-Based Terror Groups
On Tuesday, as investigations continue into the Red Fort car bomb case, intelligence sources explained the differences between each, including their operational styles, leadership structures, and indoctrination methodology.
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