JOIN USArmy, agencies meet to discuss security in Valley
With militant attacks on the rise, a core group meeting of top army, police and intelligence officers was held here on Saturday to review the overall security situation and to draw out a strategy for maintaining peace in the Valley during the summer months.
A defence spokesperson said the meeting was co-chaired by general officer commanding (GOC) of Valley-based 15-Corps, Lt Gen Om Prakash and the Director General of Jammu and Kashmir Police Ashok Prasad with senior officers of army, police, para-military, intelligence and civil administration in attendance.
Prakash said the GOC and the DGP elaborated the key security initiatives that have been put into place to manage the law and order situation in the Valley.
“Major efforts required to be taken by various security agencies with regard to sustaining the peace and harmony through the summer of 2013 were also discussed,” he added.
Sources told Deccan Herald that intelligence officers gave inputs in the meeting that a number of militants have become active at the launching pads across the Line of Control.
Summer strategy
“The summer strategy to counter infiltration attempts on both LoC and the international border was discussed in the meeting. It was aimed at maintaining the level of infiltration at zero like the previous year when the militants were unable to intrude into this side from the LoC,” they added.
With snow having melted completely, the intelligence and security agencies anticipate increased activity along the LoC and IB in the summer, especially in view of high presence of militants.
A senior police officer said that security issues related to the annual Amarnath pilgrimage scheduled to commence from next month, were discussed threadbare in the meeting.
“For the past few months militants have been concentrating in south Kashmir (route of pilgrimage) after security forces put pressure on them in north Kashmir and killed their top commanders. Militants have made fresh recruitments in south Kashmir areas of Tral, Awantipora, Pulwama, Kulgam, Pulwama and Shopian,” he said.
The officer said with south Kashmir being the pilgrimage route, security forces don’t want to take any chances.
On Friday, militants killed a police officer and a civilian in Pulwama area of South Kashmir.
Creating pressure
In order to put pressure on militants in south Kashmir, the security forces set up two camps at Wuyan and Chattergam Budgam on the border of district Pulwama.
Several security forces camps were closed in south Kashmir few years ago after improvement in the situation.
Taking advantage of decreased security presence, militants are trying to re-group in these areas, sources revealed.