New Delhi, Oct 22 — A month ago, a significant change took place in Pakistan with the appointment of Major General Muhammad Shamraiz Khan as chief of the country’s spy agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).
His appointment came at a time when Pakistan has been facing difficulties in carrying out infiltration attempts from launchpads established in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). The Pakistani establishment expects Khan to overhaul the infiltration strategy and facilitate the entry of a larger number of terrorists into Jammu and Kashmir, where they could remain active for extended periods.
An Intelligence Bureau official says that Khan is currently working closely with the terror groups, which are looking to push terrorists into India.
“Khan has taken a different approach and has not indulged in any sort of misadventure as yet. He is working towards strengthening the Border Action Teams to aid terrorists in their infiltration bids,” the official said.
The ISI under Khan is coordinating with the Pakistan Army to set up more such teams. The ISI wants to form strong Border Action Team (BAT) forces which would comprise both commandos of the Pakistan Army as well as terrorists.
“The plan is to create multiple such teams so that they can ambush Indian Army border posts, which would eventually free up infiltration points,” the official said.
Khan is an officer of the 40 Field Regiment. Prior to being appointed ISI chief, he headed the Sindh Rangers. After his promotion to Major General in 2023, he commanded the 17th Infantry Division at Kharian.
This posting gave him the experience of in-field command. This division has been handling the BAT forces and is capable of setting up strong units. Khan’s background does not suggest that he has much experience when it comes to intelligence operations. However, he has field experience when it comes to BAT missions and has trained scores of people to be part of these teams.
Another official said Khan’s appointment, despite his lack of a proven track record in intelligence gathering, clearly indicates the priorities of the Pakistani establishment.
“Infiltrations are crucial, and they are not taking place currently. There are over 500 terrorists at the launchpads waiting to infiltrate, and for that to take place, they need the support of strong Border Action Teams,” the official said.
Khan has over the last month held meetings with Pakistan Army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, the top brass of the Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed and Hizbul Mujahideen. He is in the process of creating multiple BATs comprising both commandos of the Pakistan Army and terrorists from the three groups, the official added.
Another official said that the new BATs would have fewer members.
Pakistan normally would deploy anything between 7 and 10 members to be part of each team. The new strategy suggests that the teams would be smaller and a maximum of 4-5 members would be part of it. While the strength is lower, the idea is to create many more teams so that they could stretch Indian security forces.
The ISI under Khan, with the help of the Pakistan Army, is identifying points at which they could attack the Indian posts along the border. The proposed action would involve coordinated strikes at multiple locations rather than one-off strikes like those seen in the past. The BAT missions are usually quick and covert cross-border raids that are meant to ambush Indian posts along the Line of Control (LoC), the official said.
The new BATs would ideally comprise two commandos of the Pakistan Army and two terrorists. These terrorists, who would be part of the team, would not look to infiltrate the Valley. Instead, they would provide assistance to help their fellow members so that they can enter the Valley and position themselves for a long haul.
Inputs that are being picked up and analysed by the Indian Intelligence agencies clearly point towards a major rehab taking place where the Border Action Teams are concerned. The ISI under the new leadership wants these teams created with reinforced vigour.
The intention is also to create multiple such teams so that at any given time, at least four to five ambushes could take place simultaneously, an official said.