ISI clubs Punjab and Kashmir, supplies HG84s to terrorists of both states

Amritsar, Dec 3: The Punjab Police had recently arrested several students from Kashmir in connection with a terror probe.

Two weeks back, there was an input from the Intelligence Bureau that spoke about terrorists of the Jaish-e-Mohammad infiltrating into Punjab to carry out a terror strike. The Jaish it may be recalled had carried out the big attack on the Pathankot air base.

The role that the ISI is making terrorists from Kashmir play in Punjab cropped up during the investigations into the Maqsudan police station blast at Jalandhar. The police arrested seven students from Kashmir and learnt that they were working for an outfit called the Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind.

This group is based out of Kashmir and is closely linked to the Jaish. An Intelligence Bureau official tells OneIndia that this is a well thought out strategy by the ISI. They want to merge the terrorists of both Kashmir and Punjab and make them fight as one entity. The aim is to make both the states troubled and boost terrorism, the officer explains.

The attack at Maqsudan was one step in that direction, the officer explains. The ISI has for long backed the Khalistan terrorists. Following the crackdown nearly 2 decades back, all the top Khalistan terrorists were given shelter in Pakistan. Over the years, they were nurtured and trained with an intention of launching them into Punjab and reviving militancy once again.

During the probe into the Maqsudan blast, it was also revealed that the grenade that was used was provided by Pakistan. Now it has been further revealed that the recent attack at the Nirankari congregation was linked to the Maqsudan attack.

The police had recovered a grenade from one of the accused Shabhnamdeep Singh, a member of the Khalistan Gaddar Force. The grenade recovered belonged to the HG84 category or the Hand Grenade Arges 84 and these are manufactured at the Pakistan Ordnance Factories. These grenades are commonly used by the Pakistan and Afghanistan armies.

The Pakistan Ordnance Factories is a major firearms, defence contractor, and military corporation headquartered in Wah Cantt, Punjab, Pakistan. It is "the largest defence industrial complex under the Ministry of Defence Production, producing conventional arms & ammo to international standards, the official website states.

The grenades that were used both on the congregation and the police station were HG84s and the source of the procurement was also the same, investigations further revealed. The grenade weighs 480 grams and its effective range is around 20 metres radius.