Foreign Secretary briefs envoys of key nations on attempts by Pak-based JeM to carry out terror attack in J&K

Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla on Monday briefed top envoys of key nations, including the US, Russia, France and Japan on the planned terror attack by Pakistan-based terrorist group JeM in Nagrota in Jammu which was foiled by security forces on November 19, sources said.

Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla on Monday briefed top envoys of key nations, including the US, Russia, France and Japan on the planned terror attack by Pakistan-based terrorist group JeM in Nagrota in Jammu which was foiled by security forces on November 19, sources said. The heads of missions were provided with a comprehensive "information docket" giving the details of the incident, and also list of items and munition recovered from terrorists, clearly indicating their Pakistani origins.

The envoys were sensitised about India's concerns regarding Pakistan's sustained efforts to "destabilise" the situation in Jammu and Kashmir and to "subvert" upcoming local elections and democracy in the union territory, sources said. "In terms of the bigger picture, it was clear that the terrorists were planning the biggest terror attack in India since Pulwama in February 2019 and the implications can be guessed," said a source, adding that details of JeM's involvement in previous such incidents were also shared with the envoys. Four suspected JeM terrorists, who were hiding in a truck, were killed by security forces near Nagrota in an encounter on Thursday morning after which the government asserted that a major terror attack was foiled by the Indian security forces. It was the first of several briefings to be conducted by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in small groups in view of the COVID-19 situation, the sources said adding other secretaries will also be holding similar sessions with heads of missions of other countries. The envoys were also briefed on how the terrorists got into India which is now clear after the discovery of an underground tunnel in the Samba sector in J&K, sources said. It was shared with the heads of missions 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 Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad, a terrorist organisation proscibed by the UN, they added. According to sources, the planned attack was part of ongoing efforts to sabotage the local elections and to carry out a terror attack aimed to coincide with the anniversary of 26/11 Mumbai strikes.   The envoys were briefed about markings on the recovered AK47 rifles and other items, sources said.

The foreign secretary also briefed the envoys about the possible implications of these planned attacks on security, diplomacy and the battle against terrorism, they said. "It was pointed out how the incident of November 19 is part of Pakistan's ongoing terror campaign in J&K and that in the year 2020 itself, there have seen 200 incidents of terrorist violence and neutralisation of 199 terrorists," the source said.

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