With the announcement of dates for Jammu & Kashmir elections, security forces are bracing for an upsurge in violence levels. They apprehend “sensational terrorist action” from November 10 to 15 when campaigning will be in full swing.
The militants could try to execute bold strikes to catch national and international attention and send a warning to electorate against participating in the democratic process, officials said, adding there could be a ‘fidayeen’ attack on a heavily fortified army or para-military camp or installation. IED blast during election rallies and targeting of candidates are also feared. Terrorists could get for action in Jammu or Srinagar to attract publicity as such acts in remote areas will not yield desired results, sources said.
Elaborating upon their apprehensions, officials said terrorists will try to make their presence felt before the first phase of elections to be held in some constituencies of Jammu region, north Kashmir, leh and ladakh.
They also did not rule out the possibility of stone pelting on security forces to incite retaliatory action or allegations of human rights violations leading to mass protests. In fact, recent radio intercepts between militants and their handlers in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK) revealed this plan, officials said. J&K will have a five-phase Assembly polls beginning November 25 and ending December 20 for the 87 seats,
As things stand, Pakistan-backed militants are trying to infiltrate into the Kashmir Valley in large numbers. The two-day encounter in Handwara in North Kashmir earlier this week is one example. Three militants of laskhar-e-Tayyeba (leT) and one JCO were killed in the gunfight and more such engagements in the coming days are not ruled out.
An leT module was also busted in Sopore with the arrest of four militants on Saturday. The module was involved in grenade attacks in Sopore. Security forces had also recovered more than eight kilos of explosives in Shopian on Friday.
At present, weather is favouring the militants as snowfall has not begun in the higher mountain reaches thereby enabling the infiltrators to sneak in through ingress routes. Poonch and Rajouri in south of Pir Panjal mountain ranges and areas like Kupwara, Uri and Tangdhar in the north will see determined bids by militants to infiltrate, they said. Pakistan Army will also provide covering fire to the infiltrators all along the 750-km-long line of Control (loC) and 198-km-long International Border. Security forces have thus taken measures to prevent infiltration bids.
Moreover, ISI and militant organisations are now pushing in fresh recruits into the Valley from across the loC due to lack of sufficient numbers within the State to initiate terrorist action, they said and claimed infiltration levels had gone down this year.Faced with this possible scenario, the Army in the coming days will increase the tempo of its counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism operations. Army Chief General Dalbir Singh Suhag recently ordered the operational commanders to maintain “relentless pressure” on the militants during the elections.
The Army has already strengthened the counter-infiltration grid along the loC besides carrying out area domination aggressive patrolling in remote areas. This will deny operational space to the militants and force them to lie low or get killed or arrested if they try to engineer a terrorist act.
At present, more than 400 militants are active in the Valley including 200 foreign and 200 locals. However, nearly 300 trained fighters are waiting to sneak into Poonch and Rajouri besides same number in North Kashmir. ISI has also activated more than 30 launch pads close to the loC for pushing in the terrorist into Kashmir but has not succeeded so far. But, the local commanders are letting their guard down and are aware that things will “hot up in the next two weeks,” officials admitted.
Incidentally, nearly 30 terrorists were killed either while trying to infiltrate or during encounters in the hinterland till October end this year as compared to 38 killed last year. Moreover, 180 infiltration bids from across the loC have taken place so far as compared to 280 for the entire last year.
As regards conduct of polling, multi-tiered security in and around the polling stations will be provided and the State Election Commission has identified 650 booths as sensitive and hyper sensitive as they fall in the firing range of Pakistani forces across the loC and International Border. Alternate arrangements are in place to shift the polling stations in case of cross border firing from across the border. In addition, the Union Home Ministry has approved deployment of 50,000 personnel or 520 companies of para-miliatry forces in the state during the entire election process in the State.