From shadows to network: How Pakistan-based handlers are allegedly targeting women for terror support in Kashmir

The methods being employed by Pakistan-based handlers to sustain their networks in Kashmir appear to be drawing attention to a new dimension of the security challenge: the attempt to bring women into the separatist ecosystem and use them to expand its local reach.

The arrest of four women in north Kashmir’s Bandipora district, as part of an investigation into an alleged Pakistan-linked network, has brought this concern into focus. Police suspect that the accused were associated with a clandestine module affiliated with the banned organisation Ittihad-ul-Muslimeen, allegedly operating under the directions of a handler based in Pakistan.

According to investigators, the alleged objective was not limited to spreading separatist ideology. The network was suspected of attempting to involve women in an over-ground worker (OGW) structure, using them to propagate separatist propaganda and strengthen the support base of terrorist handlers operating from across the border.

The case has also raised questions about the possible expansion of recruitment efforts beyond conventional local networks, with women allegedly being identified as potential links in a wider support structure.

The Bandipora investigation points to what police describe as an organised attempt to establish a local network with links to a Pakistan-based handler. Investigators are examining suspected covert meetings, financial transactions and communication channels that may have been used to coordinate activities.

A particularly significant aspect of the probe is the alleged focus on women. Police believe the module was attempting to radicalise and recruit women to disseminate separatist ideology and strengthen its grassroots presence.

The investigation is seeking to establish whether the women were being drawn into a wider network intended to provide logistical and organisational support to handlers operating from Pakistan.

On October 24, Bandipora Police announced the arrest of six people, including four women and two men. The women were identified as Mubeena Banoo of Dachigam, Bandipora, and Kushboo Jan, Mehak Jan and Aliya Jan, all residents of Check Panzigam. The two men arrested in the first phase were Waheed Ahmad Bhat and Irfan Ahmed Reshi, alias Rayees, both residents of Handwara in Kupwara district.

The investigation subsequently led to two more arrests on November 6. The latest accused were identified as Irshad Ahmed Bhat of Chakloo in Baramulla district and Showkat Ahmed Reshi of Watlab in Sopore, taking the total number of arrests to eight. Investigators are also examining an alleged communication link between a local accused and a Pakistan-based handler.

According to police, Waheed Ahmad Bhat allegedly re-established contact with Manzoor Ahmad Shah, a handler based in Pakistan, while lodged in Kupwara Jail. The suspected prison-based communication has emerged as an important line of investigation, with police seeking to determine whether contacts maintained from inside the jail helped coordinate activities between local associates and handlers across the border.

The alleged attempt to recruit women has added another dimension to the investigation. Security agencies are seeking to establish whether the Bandipora case represents an isolated module or is connected to a wider effort to revive local support networks through different sections of society.