Terrorist camps exist in PoK, Pakistan'

Mudasir Gujri, a top commander of the Lashker-e-Tayiba, arrested by Jammu and Kashmir Police, has confirmed that Pakistani Goverment Agencies were training terrorists in camps across the border.

Mudasir, the mastermind behind the series of blasts in Srinagar Jammu and fidayeen attack on Congress rally in April, May and July this year, has confessed to the presence of a number of training camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, state Director General of Police Gopal Sharma told reporters in Srinagar on Saturday.

He said Mudasir has revealed certain details about the LeT and the direct hand of the Pakistani agencies in training terrorists and organising subversive activities in Kashmir.

Asked if Mudasir had said anything about the Mumbai blasts, the police chief replied in the negative.

Sharma said one Abu Alqama, based in Pakistan, was controlling all terrorist operations in the Jammu and Kashmir. According to Mudasir, it was Abu Alqama who had directed him to target tourists and Amarnath pilgrims.


The Jammu and Kashmir police chief said Lashkar-e-Tayiba had a separate operational chief for other Indian states. "We had information that one Jehangir was heading the operations in other Indian states," he said.

He said Mudasir, who carries several aliases to his name, a resident of Tillar in Kishtwar area of Doda district in Jammu region, was a Pakistani national. Mudasir was motivated by one Abu Osama of Pakistan in 1999 to join the LeT and was taken to Pakistan via Hill Kaka [Images] in Poonch.

After spending four years there in different training camps, including Ibn Tamiya and Abdullah Bin Masood at Kotli in PoK, he received religious indoctrination at Markaz Tayiba at Mureed-ke in Lahore where he met top LeT leaders including Abu Abdullah Gazi, Abu Usama and several Inter Services Intelligence trainers before being finally pushed back here in August 2004 via Athmuqam.

Sharma said Mudasir was coordinating and organising attacks in the Kashmir valley, particularly in Srinagar city. He was behind the grenade attacks on Border Security Force and Central Reserve Police Force bunkers in the valley.

Sharma said Mudasir, a resident of Tilar, Kishtwar, in Doda district of Jammu region has admitted his involvement in the militancy-related incidents. It was he who distributed grenades among the militants for carrying out a series of grenade attacks in the city on April 14 and July 11 in which more than a dozen persons, mostly tourists from Kolkata, were killed and scores injured.

The police chief said Mudasir also masterminded the Fidayeen attack on a Congress rally here on May 21 in which seven police personnel were killed and Inspector General of Police K Rajinder Kumar was injured.

He said following the assault on chairman of the breakaway Hurriyat Conference in Jammu by Shiv Sena activists, Abu Alqame directed Mudasir to take revenge. However, on the direction of Abu, Mudasir sent three terrorists -- Master Bilal, Riyaz Babu and Wasim, a resident of Srinagar -- to Jammu next morning.

Sharma said Mudasir and three terrorists, since arrested, reached Jammu at 0230 hours and after hurling grenades near a bus stand returned back to Srinagar. He said Mudasir was responsible for other various grenade attacks, shootings and killings at Sopore, Srinagar and other parts of the valley.