JOIN USMilitants may vitiate peace in valley
Despite Pakistan posturing to improve bilateral relations, militants harboured by them are making “concerted” efforts to sneak into Jammu and Kashmir for vitiating the peace in the state.
Union Home Secretary R K Singh told reporters on Wednesday that militant groups have stepped up efforts to push terrorists through border to ensure that they found home in the state before snowing makes higher reaches difficult to negotiate in the winter.
“The militant groups are making concerted attempts to push terrorists through the border. Security forces are dealing with them,” home secretary told reporters at North Block.
Intelligence inputs suggest Pakistan-based Hizbul Mujahideen, Lashker-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed militants have crossed into the state in batches, with some slipping through the border in May and others early this month. The three summer months, beginning May, have always been crucial period to push militants as the snow melts on the higher reaches.
A large part of the fence on LoC was damaged due to heavy snowfall but the Army has not been able to repair 72 - 73 per cent of the barbed wiring so far.The militants are using Rajwara and Falmarg forests and Bangus and Nagwam sector of North Kashmir to cross over and melt into the state crowd.
The route pattern suggests that the militants have revived a dormant old passage that was in use in1990s.
The Army conducted an operation close to LoC to check infiltration from the Nowgam, Bangus and Rajwara and killed five militants. Foreign militants are also suspected to have been spotted in the forest.
Increase in infiltration
A comparison of the data compiled to show year wise infiltration corroborates home secretary’s assertion that there has been an increase in number of terrorists crossing over this year.
Ten attempts to send militants have been made this year as against two in 2011, a week-on-week comparison of the data reveals.The police have also identified new militants in North Kashmir and increased vigilance to engage them before they reach the state capital.
Commander of Srinagar based 15 Corps, Lt General Syed Atta Mohammad Hasnain, had said in May that “there are some 400 to 500 militants waiting on launching pads to sneak into the state during the next two months, but we are prepared to foil all such attempts.”
Trek to valley
He said militants were waiting in Poonch and Keran sectors on the other side of the LoC. Armed with gadgets required for infiltration, the militants were waiting in the two sectors on the Pakistan side of the LoC to trek to the Valley, he added.