Under a new gameplan, ISI has been trying to establish its bases in Hyderabad, Western Uttar Pradesh, North Kerala, Himachal Pradesh and parts of Tamil Nadu besides Mumbai suburbs, official sources said.

The arrest of a suspected militant belonging to Lashkar-E-Toiba outfit in Hyderabad is just the ``tip of the iceberg'', they said.

Under the new modus operandi of ISI, Hafeez Quari Wali Mohd, the arrested militant, had first come to the city in 1994 and married a local girl before resuming his anti-national activities, the sources said, adding that the militants first get involved in local activities to evade any possible arrest by the police.

The Delhi police also arrested three terrorists recently carrying 50 kgs of RDX, who were planning to disrupt electioneering in the Capital.

The places, wherethe ISI is believed to have sent militants to are Hyderabad, Kurnool (Andhra Pradesh), Kannur (Kerala), Mewar (Haryana), Bagpat, Muzzafarnagar, Amroh, Meerut, Morradabad (Uttar Pradesh) and suburbs of Mumbai, the sources said.

The ISI is also trying to stoke the embers of militancy in Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab again, and has even targeted nomads in the higher reaches of Himachal Pradesh by using the fortunes earned from poppy trade and is also attempting to create a communal wedge in Jammu and Doda areas, the sources said quoting interrogation reports of some recently arrested militants.Buoyed with huge profits earned from poppy cultivation along the Pak-Afghan border, the ISI was ready to pump in several crores to revive militant activities, the sources quoted a Pak-based arrested militant Shamas-ul-Haq.They attributed suicidal attacks on the camps of security forces to larger presence of foreign mercenaries in the valley.

However, the approaching winter will pose a big problem to militants holed inhigh-altitude jungles, the sources said adding that in the absence of local support these mercenaries will not find any place in the villages or towns to stay.

The ISI has also directed militants to target Jammu after establishing bases in the two states, another militant Bashir Ahmed was quoted as having said.The militants have claimed that a number of Islamic schools have been set up in Chamba and Kangra valley of Himachal Pradesh where militants take refuge after sneaking into the state, they said adding large scale infiltration was also taking place from Peer Panjal range `with an eye on Jammu'.

The arrested militants asserted the ISI was not able to play the religion card anymore with the Afghan youth as some of them on return from Kashmir had praised India for its secular policies, the sources said.