Four suspected Jaish terrorists were killed in the Nagrota encounter. (Archive)
New Delhi:
Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla on Monday briefed top envoys from key nations including the United States, Russia, France and Japan on the planned terror attack by Pakistan-based terror group JeM at Nagrota in Jammu, which he was thwarted by security forces on November 19, according to sources. said.
The mission chiefs were provided with a complete “information dossier” with details of the incident, as well as a list of items and ammunition recovered from the terrorists, clearly indicating their Pakistani origins.
The envoys were sensitized to India’s concerns regarding Pakistan’s sustained efforts to “destabilize” the situation in Jammu and Kashmir and to “subvert” the upcoming local elections and democracy in the union territory, the sources said.
“In terms of the big picture, it was clear that the terrorists were planning the biggest terrorist attack in India since Pulwama in February 2019 and the implications can be guessed,” said a source, adding that the details of JeM’s involvement in incidents of these previous types were also shared with the envoys.
Four suspected JeM terrorists, hiding in a truck, were killed by security forces near Nagrota in an encounter Thursday morning, after which the government claimed that Indian security forces thwarted a major terrorist attack. .
It was the first of several briefings to be held by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MEA) in small groups in view of the COVID-19 situation, the sources said, adding that other secretaries will also hold similar sessions with heads of missions from other countries. .
The envoys were also briefed on how the terrorists entered India, which is now clear after the discovery of an underground tunnel in the Samba sector at J&K, the sources said.
It was shared with the mission chiefs how preliminary investigations by the police and intelligence authorities led India to believe that the terrorists, who had planned the attack in Nagrota, belonged to Jaish-e-Mohammad, a terrorist organization based in Pakistan banned by the UN, they added.
According to sources, the planned attack was part of ongoing efforts to sabotage local elections and carry out a terrorist attack intended to coincide with the anniversary of the 11/26 Mumbai attacks.
Envoys were briefed on the marks on the recovered AK47 rifles and other items, the sources said.
The foreign secretary also briefed envoys on the possible implications of these planned attacks on security, diplomacy and the battle against terrorism, they said.
“It was pointed out how the November 19 incident is part of Pakistan’s ongoing terror campaign at J&K and that in the same year 2020, 200 incidents of terrorist violence and neutralization of 199 terrorists have been seen,” the source said.
.
