Explained: Why Jaish is the ISI’s favoured terror outfit in Kashmir

Any international action against Azhar, however, has been blocked by China, which has refused to let him be proclaimed as an international terrorist by the United Nations.

In 2018, the Jaish introduced a new dimension to the militancy in Kashmir: sniper attacks.

In the re-emergence of the Jaish-e-Muhammad, the Jammu and Kashmir Police see a strategic bid by Pakistan to turn international scrutiny away from the Lashkar-e-Taiba and the Hizbul Mujahideen. Lashkar founder Hafiz Saeed is among the world’s most wanted terrorists, with a $10 million bounty on his head.

“The reason for Jaish-e-Mohammad coming to the forefront (of the militancy in the Valley) may be due to increased and repeated international scrutiny of LeT and its chief,” a secret police report said last year.

“2017 witnessed heavy losses to terrorist outfits especially LeT and Hizb as their top commanders were killed. The Pakistan based handlers… have started reviving Jaish cadres in valley and main motive of carrying fidayeen type attacks is to push security forces on backfoot in order to give some breathing space to Hizb and LeT.”

Read | Jaish’s journey: Parliament attack to Pulwama

Security forces believe the revival of the Jaish in Kashmir started with the infiltration of two of its groups, through Kupwara and Poonch, in August 2016 during the protests that followed after the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani. The local commander most crucial to the revival of the Jaish was the 3-foot-tall militant, Noor Muhammad Tantray alias Noor Trali.

In 2018, the Jaish introduced a new dimension to the militancy in Kashmir: sniper attacks. In October 2018, when security forces eliminated a Jaish sniper squad, its top commander turned out to be a nephew of Jaish chief Masood Azhar, Usman Haider.