'Intelligence vacuum’ in J&K: How forest safe havens and fractured tribal trust aid Pakistani terrorists

Srinagar: Battle-hardened Pakistani terrorists equipped with latest weapons have turned Jammu and Kashmir’s dense forests into fortified safe havens, exploiting a growing rupture between security forces and Gujjar-Bakerwal nomadic tribes, Deccan Herald has learnt.

Senior officials admit that with the pastoral communities—once the backbone of grassroots intelligence—pulling back from cooperation, counterinsurgency operations in the Pir Panjal and Chenab Valley and other districts of Jammu region are now being fought with dangerous blind spots.

The shift in militant tactics has been sharp. Sources in the security establishment say a new crop of highly trained Pakistani fighters, many of them battle-hardened from combat experience in Pakistan and Afghanistan’s tribal belts, are spearheading infiltration and survival strategies in Jammu’s rugged mountains.

“These are not inexperienced local boys. They are trained in guerilla warfare, adept in jungle survival and can sustain themselves for weeks in caves and forest hideouts,” a senior police officer told DH. “They have chosen dense forests and ridge-tops as their sanctuaries, knowing it makes detection harder and creates operational fatigue for our troops.”

The thickly forested belts of Rajouri, Poonch (Pir Pamjal) and Doda, Kishtwar, Ramban (Chenab Valley) of Jammu region have witnessed a spurt in encounters since 2021. Sources said small, well-armed groups are embedding themselves in safe zones across the Pir Panjal, relying less on overground workers in villages and more on the cover offered by unpopulated wilderness.

“This is where the loss of Gujjar-Bakerwal cooperation hurts us most,” the officer observed. “Earlier, nomadic herders moving with their flocks would flag suspicious presence, narrow down hideouts, or even guide patrols. That natural surveillance has gone missing.”

He conceded that the breakdown in relations with Gujjars and Bakerwals is not the result of one episode but cumulative fallout of neglect and flashpoints.

Incidents such as the 2018 Kathua rape and murder of a Bakerwal girl, the 2020 Amshipura fake encounter in which three Gujjar youths were killed and the 2023 custodial deaths of three civilians in Topa Pir, Poonch are among the visible triggers that deepened resentment. But on the ground, these are not the only reasons; they have compounded an already fragile relationship.

Young herders who once tipped off patrols now avoid engagement, leaving terrorists freer to move in the mountains. “We no longer receive the kind of grassroots information that used to flow naturally from these communities. This silence is noticeable and dangerous,” the officer acknowledged.

Community leaders echo the sentiment. “Outstanding rights to forest lands remain unresolved. Families who grazed cattle there for generations have not received individual claims,” said Gujjar leader Shahnawaz Choudhary. “Add incidents like Topa Pir—which many believe was manipulated by Pakistan’s ISI—and the youth feel ignored by both the security forces and the administration. The void is widening.”

Retired Lt Gen D S Hooda, former Northern Command chief, underlined what is at stake. “Somewhere, I don’t think we’ve done justice to their role,” he said.

Recalling their legacy, Hooda pointed out that the first women Village Defence Committee members in Murah Kalalli, Surankote, were from these tribes. “They played a crucial role in Operation Sarp Vinash in 2003, when 78 terrorists entrenched in Hill Kaka in Poonch were eliminated. Gujjar and Bakerwal tribes are not just the eyes and ears of the Army but also the first line of defence. We must re-establish relations rather than treat them as irrelevant because peace seems to have returned.”

But alienation is mounting. Shrinking grazing corridors and reduced mobility are forcing many families to abandon nomadic routes. With fewer herders traversing remote tracks, natural surveillance that once fed the counterinsurgency grid has vanished.

Officials and experts argue that rebuilding trust is as urgent as adapting tactics to militants’ ridge-top strategy. Battle-hardened infiltrators from across the border are exploiting every weakness—geographical, operational, and social.

“Forests have become sanctuaries for Pakistani terrorists. If Gujjar-Bakerwals remain disengaged, terrorists will only expand their footprint,” an army officer warned.

The challenge for the state, many admit, is no longer just about boots on the ground but about reweaving a bond of trust with the very communities that once served as its most organic line of defence in Jammu and Kashmir’s volatile mountains.


Gujjars & Bakerwals at a glance
Population:  15 lakh (largest tribal group in J&K)
Nomadic lifestyle: seasonal migration across high ridges
Security role: natural “eyes and ears” in remote terrains
Current challenge: shrinking grazing rights, insecure livelihoods

Why trust is fraying
Policy neglect: forest land claims unresolved, mobility curbed
Community grievances: lack of representation, economic marginalisation
Flashpoints: Kathua (2018), Amshipura (2020), Topa Pir (2023) — among incidents deepening resentment

The road ahead
Rebuild trust: outreach, welfare, accountability in past cases
Integration: recruit Gujjar-Bakerwal youth into police/paramilitary