Nagrota attack India briefs envoys, shows proof of Pak’s involvement

Jammu: Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla on Monday briefed a group of foreign envoys, including from the US, Russia and France 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.
These 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.
They were also briefed on how the terrorists got into India which is now clear through the discovery of an underground tunnel in the Samba sector in Jammu and Kashmir, 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 attacks in Nagrota belonged to Pakistan-based Jaish-e- Mohammad, a terrorist organisation proscibed by the UN, they added.
It is learnt that the envoys of the US, Russia, France and Japan were among those who were part of the briefing.
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.
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.
Details of JeM’s involvement in similar incidents in the past were also shared with the envoys.
“In terms of the bigger picture, it is clear the terrorists were planning the biggest terror attack in India since the Pulwama suicide bombing of February 2019 and the implications can be guessed,” a report said.
“This is part of ongoing efforts to sabotage the district development council elections in Jammu and Kashmir and carry out a terror attack aimed to coincide with the anniversary of the 2008 Mumbai terror strikes,” as per the report.
The envoys were also sensitised to India’s concerns regarding Pakistan’s sustained efforts to destabilise the situation in Jammu and Kashmir and to subvert local elections and democracy, the people said.