China-Pakistan Nexus: Concerns Over Alleged Support to Terrorist Groups Against India
By Tsering Choephel
DHARAMSALA, 27 Dec: The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is reportedly resurrecting its collaboration with Pakistan to support terrorist groups, exert pressure on New Delhi and redirect India-deployed army troops from the Ladakh border to the Kashmir region, as per an Intelligence Agency report cited by India Today on Tuesday.
Terrorist organisations of Pakistan, such as Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Taiba LeT), reportedly use Chinese weapons, bodysuit cameras, and communication devices to carry out attacks on the Indian Army in the Jammu and Kashmir state. The CCP’s supply of arms and tools to these terrorist groups also includes drones, hand grenades, body cameras, guns, and sophisticated encrypted messaging devices, as outlined in the report.
Furthermore, it is reported that China is aiding Pakistan in enhancing its cyber capabilities, including providing funds for the establishment of a separate information security lab dedicated to cyber warfare.
In the aftermath of the consequential clash between Indian and Chinese soldiers at Galwan Valley in 2020 and the subsequent standoff, both countries have engaged in extensive strategic development and investment along the eastern front of the Indo-China border.
A report from India Today on 22 December highlights India’s deployment of the Rashtriya Rifles, a specialised counter-insurgency force, from Poonch in Kashmir to Ladakh in 2020 to counter China’s aggression on the eastern front. However, this move potentially left Poonch with fewer anti-terror resources.
On 21 December, heavily armed terrorists ambushed two Indian Army vehicles in the Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir, killing four soldiers. The People’s Anti-Fascist Front (PAFF), an offshoot of the Pakistan-based terror outfit Let, claimed responsibility for the ambush.
In November of this year, an Indian soldier on the Jammu border was shot, and the sniper gun used in the attack was found to be made with Chinese technology, according to the report.
According to several reports, China accounts for 72% of Pakistan’s arms and weapon suppliers between 2017 and 2021. The Pakistan government allegedly makes these weapons available to terrorist organisations in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (POK) for infiltrations and terrorist attacks in India.
