‘Feasals’ and ‘liberals’ are trying to change Kashmir narrative by drumming up international support

New Delhi, Aug 16: While the presence of heavy security has ensured that the Valley has remained peaceful in the aftermath of Article 370 being abrogated, Intelligence Agencies have been keeping a close eye on those trying to drum up support and create trouble.

The detention of Shah Faesal was one such instance in which the agencies learnt that he was trying to go abroad and drum support from international forums on the Kashmir issue.

The IB had also warned that many protests are being organised in different parts of the country and there is a good chance that these persons may provoke and create violence. An example of the same was the incident that was witnessed at the JNU, when a protest condemning the death sentence awarded to Parliament attack mastermind Afzal Guru was held.

An IB source tells OneIndia that it has come to their notice that several persons are reaching out to journalists and activists abroad to drum up support and show India in poor light. The intention is to create a narrative against the abrogation and show to the world that the people of Kashmir tend to lose due to this move.

Officials say that a small trigger is sufficient to kick off a wave and hence such events and activities must be closely watched. Intelligence Bureau officials have also advised the police of several states to keep a very close watch on sleeper cells and terror modules of groups such as the Jaish-e-Mohammad, Lashkar-e-Tayiba, Students Islamic Movement of India, Islamic State and the Harkat-ul-Mujahideen, Bangladesh. There has been plenty of chatter in the past couple of days and these groups are trying to activate their modules with an intention of striking. Groups from Pakistan will look to strike in the cities in a bid to avenge the decision on Article 370, an Intelligence Bureau official said.

They would look to strike at cities such as New Delhi, Mumbai or Bengaluru, the Intelligence Bureau also warns. There are several modules of these terror outfits in and around these cities. Recent investigations by the National Investigation Agency have been a testimony of this fact and it has come to light how modules of the Islamic State have mushroomed in Mumbai and several other South Indian states.

The detention of Shah Faesal, civil servant turned politicians was based on concrete reports that he was trying to go abroad and dish up support to foment trouble in the Valley. Faesal who was in New Delhi since the decision to abrogate Article 370 was prevented from boarding a flight from Delhi to Istanbul. He was then taken to Srinagar and placed under house arrest.

Sources say that the move to prevent him from flying out of the country was absolutely necessary. We have concrete reports that several politicians from the Valley may go abroad in a bid to try and foment trouble in the Valley.

As a precautionary measure, the administration had also placed under house arrest, former chief ministers of Jammu and Kashmir, Mehbooba Mufti and Omar Abdullah.

It may be recalled that former MLA, Rashid Engineer has been arrested by the National Investigation Agency in connection with the terror funding case, in which Lashkar-e-Tayiba chief Hafiz Saeed is the main accused.

Faesal, who has been in the limelight since becoming the first Kashmiri to top the exam in 2009, resigned protesting the "unabated" killings in Kashmir and the marginalisation of Indian Muslims.