Lashkar guide trained by Pak army arrested near LoC in J-K

A highly trained Lashkar-e-Tayba guide, who also worked for Pakistan Army's intelligence unit, was arrested after being shot at by the Indian Army near the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district on Sunday, officials said.

Tabarak Hussain (32), a resident of Sabzkot village of Kotli in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, was arrested for the second time in six years while trying to infiltrate into the Indian side of the border, they said.

Previously, he and his younger brother Haron Ali had undergone 26 months of imprisonment before being repatriated via the Attari-Wagah border in Amritsar.

This time, he was apparently planning a fidayeen (suicide) attack, the officials said.

"Mai marne ke liye aaya tha, mujhe dhoka de diya. Bhaijaan mujhe yahan se nikalo," (I came to die but was betrayed. Brothers, pull me out from here), a wounded Hussain cried when the Army arrested him.

The officials said hairs on his private part and armpits were found to be shaved, which terrorists do while on a suicide mission, as seen in the past.

Earlier, Rajouri senior superintendent of police Mohammad Aslam said army troops guarding the LoC in Sehar Makri area of Nowshera sector noticed suspicious movement of an infiltrator, who was challenged but he started to run.

"On this, the intruder was fired upon and was then intercepted in an injured condition. He was provided medical facilities in the local army establishment and has now (been) shifted to Army hospital Rajouri," the officer said, adding "the injured was responding (positively) to the treatment."

In April 2016, Hussain and his then 15-year-old brother Ali were sent with three other terrorists - Mohammad Kafil, Mohammad Ali and Yasin -- from Kaldio-Sabzkot.

They were carrying war-like stores and planned to plant improvised explosive devices on operational tracks near forward posts used by Indian Army.

While Kafil, Mohammad Ali and Yain escaped, the two brothers were arrested on April 25 that year while trying to intrude into this side from Jhangar in Nowshera sector.

On December 16, 2019, another brother of Hussain, Mohammad Sayeed, was also apprehended by the army in the same area where he was caught this morning.

Sayeed was found to be under the heavy influence of drugs at the time of his arrest. He, too, was subjected to imprisonment and later repatriated, the officials said.

According to the officials, Hussain was cultivated by Pakistan Army, likely its intelligence agency Inter-Services Intelligence, and worked for the intelligence unit for about two years.

During this period, he was trained to acquire enemy information and establish cover story in case he was ever apprehended.

He had also undergone six weeks' training as a guide at an LeT training camp at Bhimber along the LoC.