Pakistani terror groups trying to reactivate Balakot camps, government will protect India's borders: MHA

Pakistan-based terrorist outfits are attempting to reactivate their camps in Pakistan's Balakot to restart their religious and Jihadi literature against India, asserted the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Wednesday citing intelligence inputs. 

"Inputs indicate that attempts are being made by Pakistan-based terror outfits to reactivate its camp at Balakot and restart their religious and Jihadi indoctrination courses against India. The Government of India is committed to taking all necessary steps to protect the borders of the country and maintain its integrity and sovereignty," said Reddy.

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Minister of State (MoS) Kishan Reddy in a written reply to a query of Congress leader Ahmed Patel in Rajya Sabha further assured that the government is committed to taking all necessary steps to protect the borders of the country and maintain its integrity and sovereignty.

"Will the Minister of HOME AFFAIRS be pleased to state: (a) whether Government is aware that terror camps have again been reactivated in Balakot in Pakistan which will be used against India; (b) if so, the details thereof; and (c) what precautionary and other measures Government proposes to take in the matter?" asked Patel.

This comes after government sources in October 2019 had claimed that 45-50 terrorists including suicide bombers were undergoing training at Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terror camp in Balakot.

On September 23, 2019, Army Chief General Bipin Rawat had informed that the terrorist camp in Balakot has been reactivated. According to General Rawat, the fact that the JeM camp in Balakot has been reactivated suggests that it was destroyed earlier.

It may be recalled that Indian Air Force's (IAF) Mirage 2000 fighter jets had decimated a JeM terror camp in Balakot on February 26, 2019. The JeM's terror camp destroyed in the airstrikes carried out by IAF to avenge the terror attack on a CRPF convoy in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama was located in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa of Pakistan. It was the biggest training camp of Pakistan-backed terror group.

The terror camp located on a hilltop amidst thick forest was an advanced training centre where suicide bombers were trained. According to intelligence sources, Balakot was an important training centre for JeM and other Pakistan-based terror groups.

The terror camp targeted in the airstrike was spread over an area of around six-acre and it had several structures to accommodate terrorist trainees and facilities. Sources said that JeM chief Maulana Masood Azhar and other senior terrorists used to visit this terror camp regularly to deliver inspirational lectures to new recruits. Since the camp was situated on the Kunhar river, it was also used by terror groups to give aquatic training to recruits.

On March 3, 2019, Azhar's brother Maulana Ammar had admitted that the airstrikes by the IAF hit the training camps of the terror outfit in Balakot. Ammar was caught saying that the Indian jets hit the training camp and inflicted significant damage on them. He had admitted that the Indian fighter jets hit the schools where students were being trained to understand jihad.