A week before the Foreign Secretaries of India and Pakistan meet to discuss steps Islamabad has taken to curb terrorism directed against India, top government sources said India has found evidence that Pakistan is “spoofing” Thuraya satellite phones used commonly by terrorists and, thus, undermining its stated commitment to undo the India-targeted terror infrastructure on its soil.

Sources said transmitters have come up across the Line of Control and the international border which blank out signals emanating from Thuraya phones used by terrorists. This makes it impossible for Indian agencies to triangulate and track the location of these Thuraya phones, which are among the most effective ways to detect infiltration or follow movement of known Pak-based terrorists.

India believes that these transmitters cannot exist without tacit support of the Pak establishment. And even if they do, they can easily be detected and removed. The existence of these transmitters, sources said, has provided another cover to terrorists acting against India. In fact, these phones were used by perpetrators of the Mumbai attacks.

Without being alarmist, the Indian security establishment feels there are “credible threats against India” even now. New Delhi’s main complaint is that Islamabad is not showing the kind of commitment it seems to display when it comes to dealing with terror groups operating against India compared to those active on its Western border.

Pak Interior Minister Rehman Malik has claimed the detention of five key suspects, including mastermind Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi. But Lakhvi is still to be produced in court and India has received no evidence from Pakistan confirming his detention or arrest.

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