Pak army chief prepares to turn on LeT, Jaish

TIL Desk/World/Islamabad-In Pakistan, a new year and a new army chief appear to be heralding a new approach towards reining in anti-India jihadis like the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM).

Pakistan army sources that General Qamar Javed Bajwa, who took over as chief of the army staff (COAS) from General Raheel Sharif on November 28, has told key advisors that open-ended confrontation with India must be curbed, without compromising Pakistan’s self-respect.

A senior Pakistani officer, who held a detailed discussion with General Bajwa, the new army chief understands fully that reducing tensions with India would require action against the LeT and JeM. But Pakistan’s top general believes the LeT and JeM are now more troublesome than useful.

He believes the Uri terror strike in September provided India respite in the UN General Assembly, allowing New Delhi to shift the spotlight from the uprising in the Kashmir valley to Pakistan-backed terrorism. General Bajwa, unlike his predecessors, has begun setting the stage to act against those groups, says the source.