Pakistan-backed terror outfits are planning a fresh wave of attacks before winter sets in, prompting intelligence agencies to issue a high-level alert for Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh. The warning comes amid ongoing investigations into the white-collar terror module and the Delhi blast, and is seen as an attempt by these groups to retaliate for India’s Operation Sindoor, which dismantled several terror camps earlier in 2025.
Agencies describe the situation as a “critical warning,” cautioning of a possible “long winter of terror” involving coordinated fidayeen assaults and drone-enabled strikes.
According to intelligence inputs, units of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) have begun reactivating sleeper cells after covert meetings held in October in the Kotli region of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. These meetings were attended by ISI officials, Jamaat-e-Islami operatives, Hizbul Mujahideen members, and former commanders who receive monthly stipends for avenging the losses inflicted during Operation Sindoor.
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Pakistan’s Border Action Teams (BATs), supported by Special Services Group (SSG) commandos and handlers from LeT and JeM, are also believed to be involved.
Reports suggest terrorists are conducting reconnaissance of gaps along the Line of Control (LoC) for large-scale infiltrations, aerial weapon drops, and high-impact attacks on security forces and political workers.
Narco-terror and arms smuggling routes through Punjab and Rajasthan are reportedly expanding to support the funding needs of terror groups. A shift towards winter-hardened training is underway so that fighters can continue operations despite heavy snowfall.
Infiltration attempts have risen since September, signalling possible attacks in the “coming weeks,” timed before winter fully obstructs LoC movement but benefiting from reduced visibility. Intelligence sources also report that the ISI has restarted 15 terror camps in PoK to support renewed operations.
Northern Command intelligence has highlighted a steep rise in the number of active terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir. Currently, 131 terrorists are active, of whom 122 are confirmed Pakistani nationals, and nine are locals. This number has doubled compared with earlier figures, with most foreign terrorists operating in the Chenab Valley and Pir Panjal regions, aided by a strong terror ecosystem.
Up to March 2025, only 59 Pakistani terrorists were active in J&K. These included 21 from JeM, 21 from LeT, three from Hizbul Mujahideen, and 14 from other groups. But the number has now doubled despite intensified counter-terror operations.
So far this year, 31 terrorists have been neutralised, including 21 Pakistani nationals. However, security forces and civilians have also suffered losses, with 28 civilians and 16 personnel killed in the same period. The deaths in the Nawgam Police Station incident were classified as an accident and not included in the tally.
Historical data shows 61 terrorists were eliminated in 2024, and 60 in 2023.
Despite “zero recruitment” of local youth under the ongoing security campaign and “zero terror” policy, Pakistan-backed groups like LeT, JeM and their fronts — TRF and PAFF — have managed to infiltrate fighters equipped with sophisticated weaponry into Indian territory.
A senior intelligence official stated that “OGW networks have been fully destroyed and almost all local terrorists have been eliminated in the Kashmir Valley, but now this gap is being filled by unknown recruits who were never on our radar.”
He added that although coordinated raids and arrests have been carried out, the substantial presence of foreign terrorists and a newly emerging OGW structure remains a major concern. The recently busted white-collar module, involving highly qualified individuals joining terror activities through radicalisation, poses a threat not only to Jammu and Kashmir but to the entire country.
Central agencies are expanding their investigation into newly organised terror networks exposed through the JeM poster case and the 10 November Delhi blast. Security agencies in J&K are now dealing with a new operational reality, as the true extent and spread of the white-collar module remain unclear.
Authorities are still unsure how deeply this module has penetrated social structures. Reports indicate that in 2025, no local youth joined any terror group, marking a significant shift in the Valley’s terror landscape. Agencies believe terror outfits are now focusing on radicalising educated individuals and recruiting them as suicide attackers or covert operatives embedded within civil society.
The Army, CRPF, J&K Police and other security forces are on maximum alert. LoC patrols, drone countermeasures, radar surveillance, vehicle checks and mobile checkpoints have been intensified. Similar security measures are being enforced in several sensitive and densely populated cities across the country.
In recent years, security forces had made substantial gains in the fight against terror in Jammu and Kashmir. However, the exposure of the white-collar module has revealed a new challenge for agencies nationwide.
