Work in full swing to repair 25-km LoC fence felled by snow as Pak BAT/infiltrators prowl
With at least 20-25 km of anti-infiltration fence on the Line of Control (LoC) still down due to heavy snowfall in the North Kashmir region — which is most vulnerable to infiltrations by terrorists — the Indian Army is on a heightened vigil on the border, especially amid reports that the elite Special Services Group (SSG) commandos of the Pakistan Army are deployed besides the regulars. These units coupled with terrorists ambush the Indian Army.
The Indian Army has a window of just a fortnight to assess and repair the anti-infiltration fence before snow starts melting and terrorists try sneaking through the gaps left by the damaged fence. Post-Balakot, Pakistan has enhanced its troop deployment along the LoC posing an increased challenge to the Indian Army that is apprehending a spike in infiltration bids from across the border in summer.
Expressing these concerns, officials in the security establishment said on Saturday that Jammu & Kashmir this year witnessed heavy snowfall for a long spell. As a result, over 20-25 km of fence in Kupwara, Gulmarg, Gurez and Karnah was badly damaged due to the sheer weight of snow.
Fearing that the ultras backed by the Pakistan Army will try to exploit this situation by infiltrating through the ingress routes now without the fence, officials said the first few days in the summer months may witness several infiltration attempts. Also, Pakistan’s Border Action Teams (BAT) comprising SSG commandos and terrorists will attempt to carry out cross-border raids and ambush the Indian Army patrols to gain moral ascendancy back home, they said.
With a timeline of 15 days or so available to repair the fence, the Army has thus strengthened its anti-infiltration grid along the LoC. Patrolling along the infiltration routes, especially around damaged fence, has been increased, they said adding the Army this winter did not thin out the troop strength unlike the past.
Elaborating upon the fence aspect, officials said a variety of sensors and other sophisticated surveillance equipment, fitted along the barbed wire fence to keep a watch on the cross LoC movement also suffered damages during snowfall.
Recent reports have already indicated that snow has started melting in the higher reaches. Moreover, some of the mountain passes along the traditional infiltration routes in North Kashmir too are expected to be clear of snow in the coming days and trained terrorists will try to infiltrate into the region, they said.
Incidentally, the first four months of this year have seen virtually nil infiltration due to closure of ingress routes due to snow. With terrorist related incidents showing a downward trend, Pakistan is desperate to up the ante and will go all out to push in ultras, officials said. They have also not ruled out a spike in ceasefire violations as the Pakistan Army will provide covering fire to the terrorists to infiltrate into India.