Drone shot down: Pakistan continues with tactics to threaten Amarnath Yatra

The Union Home Minister has been holding a series of meetings following the targeted killing of Kashmiri Pandits in Jammu and Kashmir.

New Delhi, May 30: The security forces have shot down a drone from Pakistan with a payload attached to it in Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua district. The drone was shot down shortly after it crossed into the Indian side from across the International Border on Sunday morning.

Mukesh Singh, additional director general of police (ADGP), Jammu said, a police search party picked up the movement of the drone at the border in Talli Hariya Chak area in early morning and fired at it.

"Seven magnetic bombs and an equal number of UBGL (Under Barrel Grenade Launchers) grenades were recovered from the payload of the drone," Singh said while also adding that the drone had been shot down.

The incident took place ahead of the Amarnath Yatra which will begin on June 30.

The Union Home Minister has been holding a series of meetings following the targeted killing of Kashmiri Pandits in Jammu and Kashmir.

While several derivatives of Pakistan such as the The Resistence Front and the Lashkar-e-Khalsa have claimed responsibility for the attack, the Intelligence assessment says that these are just diversionary tactics to help Pakistan get out of the grey list at the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).

If one were to notice that the targeted killings have gone up in recent months. An official tells OneIndia that they do not rule out the fact that the killings have suddenly risen to dissuade the people from going for the Amarnath Yatra.

The Yatra is set to begin on June 30 and is being held after a gap of two years. The Union Home Ministry is ensuring that no stone is unturned so that the Amarnath Yatra passes off smoothly.

Terror groups are not only planning to target the Yatra, but are also carrying out targeted killings to create a scare among the people so that they refrain from attending the Amarnath Yatra, the official cited above said.

Considering these aspects, the government has decided to insure every pilgrims for Rs 5 lakh and also give them all Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags. This was earlier given only to vehicles.

Union Home Minister, Amit Shah has held a series of review meetings. Out of the three meetings, two focused entirely on the security and logistics for the Amarnath Yatra.

"The Chief Secretary of Jammu and Kashmir, said that for the first time every Amarnath Yatri would be given a RIFD card and would be insured for Rs. 5 lakh. A tent city, WiFi hotspots and proper lighting will be arranged on the yatra's travel route. Along with this, online live Darshan of Baba Barfani, live telecast of the morning and evening aarti at the holy Amarnath Cave and religious and cultural programs will be organized at the Base Camp," the Ministry of Home Affairs said in a statement.

Off late groups such as the Lashkar-e-Khalsa, the Freedom Fighter or the The Resistence Front have cropped up in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K). These lesser known groups have been claiming credit for the recent attacks.

However the Intelligence agencies have learnt that these are deliberate tactics adopted by Rawalpindi to divert attention. An officer tells OneIndia that if one has noticed that groups such as the Lashkar-e-Tayiba or the Jaish-e-Mohammad have not claimed responsibility for any of the recent attacks in J&K.

Taking into consideration the new tactic by Pakistan, Union Home Minister, Amit Shah directed the Jammu and Kashmir police as well as the security agencies to refrain from using names of new terror groups in the Union Territory. The are only derivatives of Pakistan based globally proscribed groups created by the ISI to spread the narrative of home grown terror in the Valley.

The directive came after intelligence inputs suggested that the Pakistan groups such as the Lashkar-e-Tayiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad-Mohammad have not been taking credit for the attacks as they are under pressure from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).