Jammu: Feeling desperate after successful Assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan has revamped its strategy on cross-border terrorism, setting up a 'joint command council' of terror groups and established at least 100 launching pads to step up infiltration, according to Border Security Force (BSF) and intelligence sources.

Pakistan has also directed terrorist groups to launch attacks on security forces jointly after "realising growing ineffectiveness of suicide attacks by individual outfits," they said.

More than 100 launching pads have been set up along the line of control (LoC) and international border, from where terrorists are pushed into India, they said.

The launching pads are located just near the border outposts of Pakistani Rangers and Army and terrorists are lodged there before they could be pushed in at the "first opportunity", a top BSF source said.

The source said infiltration had dropped temporarily immediately after the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly polls in September-October, but "picked up again lately".

"There is, However, no exfiltration of locals for militancy training in Pakistan as was witnessed in early 1990s although foreign mercenaries are reported to be going back after the end of their 'tenure' here," the source said.

Pakistan has also brought several militant groups, including Lashker-e-Toiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), al Badr and Harkat-ul-Jehad-i-Islami together to form the 'joint command council' for united action, the sources said.

The Council has been formed to co-ordinate actions of various terrorist groups "as attacks on security forces by individual groups have been unsuccessful lately," an intelligence source said.

The attack on a police post in Udhampur earlier this month, wherein 11 cops were killed, was the first joint strike after formation of the command council, he said.

At least 30 terrorists from four outfits – LeT, JeM, al Badr and Hizbul Mujahideen – struck at the police post, for first time in such big strength, inflicting heavy casualties.

"Inputs suggest that there could be more such attacks on security forces involving a large number of terrorists," the source said, adding security forces had been cautioned on this count.

According to estimates of the security forces, up to 1,400 terrorists from various groups are active in Jammu region, with foreigners constituting at least 40 per cent of them.

The active terrorist groups are Hizbul Mujahideen, Hizbul Mujahideen (Pir Panjal Range), LeT, JeM and HUJI.

"There are also unconfirmed reports about presence of Taleban cadres in the state," the source said.

PTI