Terror Groups Shift Focus to Local Issues in J&K to Fuel Unrest, Recruit Youth

Security agencies believe that narratives centred on the abrogation of Article 370, which was extensively used by Pakistan-based outfits after 2019, have lost some of their traction. The groups are now attempting to build influence around other contentious issues in the Union Territory.

One issue that has emerged as a particular point of contention is the extension of Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to the linguistic Pahari community. Intelligence inputs suggest that handlers linked to the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) are attempting to use resentment among sections of the Gujjar and Bakerwal communities as a means of creating divisions and encouraging unrest.

The Gujjar and Bakerwal communities have held ST status since 1991. Officials said the changes involving the Pahari community have triggered protests and public disagreements in parts of the region, although the issue has not resulted in widespread communal or physical violence so far.

An Intelligence Bureau official said attempts were being made to exploit the grievances through private communications and social media. The official said some communications had promoted violence, with security agencies concerned that continued agitation could create an environment conducive to recruitment by terror organisations.

“These persons are the potential recruits for terror groups such as the Lashkar-e-Taiba,” the official said.

Security officials said the groups' broader objective appeared to be creating social divisions and amplifying existing disagreements. While the Pir Panjal region has emerged as a focus of concern, officials said the Kashmir Valley remained a major target for attempts to exploit local grievances.

According to intelligence officials, narratives alleging that Jammu receives greater preference than the Kashmir Valley are also being circulated. They said existing political and socio-economic differences were being amplified in an attempt to create a perception of discrimination and encourage public mobilisation.

Another issue frequently exploited by terror groups relates to migrant workers in Jammu and Kashmir. Officials said tensions over employment and allegations that migrants were taking jobs from local residents have previously created friction, which terror outfits have attempted to exploit.

Security agencies have also reported that Pakistan-based terror groups and their proxies have issued threats against migrant workers in the past, with several migrant workers having been targeted in attacks.

Officials said the exploitation of local socio-political issues presents a continuing security challenge for Jammu and Kashmir. They noted that the decline of separatist activity and sustained security operations had contributed to an improvement in the region's security environment, but warned that renewed exploitation of local grievances could create fresh law-and-order challenges.

Security agencies are therefore closely monitoring attempts by terror groups to turn local disputes and socio-economic concerns into wider unrest, officials said.