With planned withdrawal of US-led forces from Afghanistan later this year, the Pakistan-based terror group lashkar-e-Tayyeba has plans to attack the Indian mission and consulates there as part of its overall strategy to gain a foothold. The attack in May at Indian consulate at Herat was part of this strategy and Intelligence agencies do not rule out more misadventures there in the future.
Apart from furthering its terror agenda in Afghanistan, the leT seeks to have a major play in illegal drug trafficking trade to fund its global terror operations, Intelligence sources said. India has earned significant goodwill in Afghanistan due to its reconstruction efforts there with aid totaling $2 billion.
While Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai had underscored the role of leT soon after the attack at Indian consulate in Herat, India has now affirmed the role of the terror group in the latest offensive on an Indian asset there.
“The Indian Embassy and the four Indian Consulates in Afghanistan have been facing high security threat on a continued basis. Recently, the Indian Consulate in Herat had been attacked by terrorist elements suspected to belong to the lashkar-e-Tayyeba,” Minister of State for External Affairs General (retd) VK Singh told Parliament in a written response.
The Government has been updating, on a regular basis, security systems at India’s Missions and Posts. These upgradations are invariably undertaken after close consultation with and assistance of local security agencies, the Minister said. Amid the continuing threat, the stakeholders of security of India’s assets there have sought shifting of the facilities to less crowded locations.
Pakistan’s notorious spy agency the Inter-Services Intelligence is known to support the leT in its misadventures in India and has engaged the Indian security establishment for in low intensity conflict over the three decades. The lashkar’s misadventures in Afghanistan come amid India’s involvement in development of infrastructure that will enable Kabul to bypass its dependence on Pakistan for movement of goods, the sources said.