Even as newly elected Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has proclaimed that he wants to restore normalcy in ties with India, Pakistan Army has stepped up violence in Jammu & Kashmir by repeatedly violating ceasefire on the line of Control (loC) and providing covering fire to infiltrators in the last fortnight. This apart, eight terrorists and four security personnel have died in encounters in the last seven days.
Pakistan Army has fired on Indian positions at least seven times killing one junior commissioned officer (JCO) and injuring a Brigadier and two jawans in different incidents.
Security forces are bracing for a spurt in violence as militants want to create trouble during the forthcoming 55-day Amarnath Yatra, starting June 29 and take revenge for killing of two top commanders in encounters in the last few days, officials said here on Friday.
Mohammad Ashraf Rajar, financial head of Hizbul Mujahideen, was killed in an encounter in Shopian on June 1 while Altaf Baba of Jais-e-Mohammad was neutralised in two-day long firefight in Pulwama on June 6,
they said.
Most of the ceasefire violations took place in north of Pir Panjal mountain ranges as militants are trying to sneak in after snow has melted and ingress routes have become accessible. These areas are Machal, Tangdhar and Keran in Kupwara sector. Security forces are revising their tactics to foil infiltration bids in the next two months with increased presence of militants across the loC facing these areas.
Kupwara sector has seen five ceasefire violations since May 24 wherein Army posts at Naugam, Tangdhar and Naugam came under fire besides two incidents in Poonch sector in south of Pir Panjal, officials said.
They said infiltration bids take place throughout the year in Poonch and Rajouri sector as the weather in winters is not so harsh as compared to north of Pir Panjal and Pakistan Army gives covering fire to the militants by firing on Indian posts.
As regards ceasefire violations north of Pir Panjal, Pakistan Army fired on Indian posts on May 24, 26, 29 and 31 in Naugam and Tangdhar where a Brigadier and two jawans were injured while the other violations took place in Poonch sector where a JCO was killed on Friday.
Giving comparative figures, officials said 18 ceasefire violations took place till June last year as compared to 31 for the same period this year. Also, the last year saw more than 120 violations and 62 in 2011.
The break-up of encounters in the hinterland includes three terrorists killed in Naugam while they were trying to infiltrate and two terrorists killed the same day in Shopian including Rajar. June 2 saw one Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist and four security personnel killed in an encounter at Tral, Anantnag and Altaf Baba and one more terrorist accounted for in a gun-battle in Pulwama on June 6.