JOIN USPakistan trying to revive militancy in twin border districts of Jammu
The recent spurt in militant activities in Rajouri and Poonch districts of Jammu region indicate that Pakistan was trying to revive militancy in the twin border districts.
In the last three months, five major encounters have been reported in Rajouri district in which seven militants and three army soldiers were killed. In neighbouring Poonch district, five militants were killed along the Line of Control (LoC) while trying to infiltrate while sticky bombs were also recovered for the first time there last month.
The August 13 attack on the house of a BJP leader in the heart of Rajouri town in which his two-year-old nephew was killed and seven family members injured, was another indication of return of the militancy in the region.
Sources said sleeper cells of militants are also active and trying to reactivate their over-ground workers (OGWs) in the twin districts which share border with Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK) with Bhimber, Mirpur, Kotli and Rawlakote on the other side.
“All this indicates that the militant handlers of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Hizbul Mujahideen, Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and some smaller outfits which are mostly their offshoots are trying to revive militancy in Rajouri and Poonch districts,” they said and added militant commanders operating in Kashmir were desperately trying to re-establish their network in Rajouri and Poonch.
A senior police officer said Muslim-majority districts of Jammu region -- Pir Panjal (Rajouri, Poonch) and Chenab region (Doda, Kishtwar) -- were on the radar of Pakistan to revive a lethal phase of militancy in the region.
“In mid1990s, the region was one of the most disturbed places in J&K as Pakistan had succeeded in motivating youth there to pick up arms. There is still a sense of belongingness with the Kashmir cause among the people of the region and Pakistan wants to convert it into an armed struggle like the 1990s,” he revealed.
The officer said the Mughal Road which connects Rajouri-Poonch with the valley had become a major concern for the security forces and intelligence agencies. “Militants infiltrating from Pakistan into Rajouri and Poonch find it easy to reach the Valley via Mughal Road. As a large number of trucks move on this road, it becomes easier for militant handlers to even transport weapons” he added.
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