Security forces have been at the receiving end of Pakistan-sponsored terrorism even as India is playing cricket with Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2023.
So far fifteen Army personnel, including decorated officers and elite commandos of Special Para Forces, have sacrificed their lives in the four recent targeted strikes planned by the same terrorist handlers operating from across the Line of Control in Pakistan. The modus operandi behind these attacks remains the same.
The first major provocative strike took place ahead of Eid in the Bhatta Durian area of Poonch on April 20, 2023.
Five soldiers were charred to death when an Army truck, ferrying ration supplies, was set on fire after the ambush. Fifteen days later, five elite commandos were ambushed in the thick forested area of Rajouri on May 5.
Then three Army personnel were ambushed in the South Kashmir district of Kulgam on the eve of the fourth anniversary of the Abrogation of Art 370.
The recent attack in the Kokernag area of Anantnag district in which a commanding officer of the 19 Rashtriya Rifles, an Army Major, and a Deputy Superintendent of Jammu & Kashmir Police were martyred in action has once again shaken the upper echelons of the security grid in Jammu & Kashmir.
On Wednesday, the Northern Army Commander Lieutenant General Upendra Dwivedi told reporters in Jammu that Pakistan is making full efforts to infiltrate foreign terrorists into Jammu & Kashmir to hinder the progress being made in internal security conditions in the region.
He said the Army has tried to neutralise foreign terrorists along the Line of Control (LoC) in Rajouri and Poonch.
“The biggest thing is that Pakistan is trying to make efforts from its side to send foreign terrorists here, despite the better internal conditions (security situation), so that they can create some kind of obstacle,” he said.
On ground zero, the anti-terrorist operations to track down the footprints of terrorists behind the attack were intensified on Thursday by the joint teams of security forces in the thick forested belt of Garol near Kokernag.
Besides rushing fresh reinforcements to plug the possible escape routes of terrorists the Army authorities have also pressed Heron drones with highly capable surveillance pods to keep a close watch on the suspected movement of terrorists in the area. Security personnel are also equipped with night vision devices to operate without hindrance in the dark, if required.
Senior officers of the Chinar Corps are monitoring the situation continuously.
In a separate statement, the Jammu & Kashmir Police on Thursday said it has “encircled” two Lashkar-e-Tayyiba terrorists behind the attack in the Anantnag district.
“In solemn tribute to the unwavering valour of Col Manpreet Singh, Major Ashish Dhonak & DSP Humayun Bhat who laid down their lives
leading from the front during this ongoing operation. Our forces persist with unwavering resolve as they encircle 2 LET terrorists including Uzair Khan,” Kashmir Police said
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Pakistan mercenaries run riot
On the other hand, Kokernag town Thursday observed a complete shutdown with black flags erected all over to protest the martyrdom of a colonel, an Army major, and DySP of J&K Police. Jammu too witnessed a series of anti-Pakistan protests against the killing of security personnel. The Panun Kashmir and the Eik Sanatam Bharat Dal (ESBD) paid homage to the security personnel and demanded a massive operation against the terrorist ecosystem in Jammu & Kashmir.
Scores of BJP youth workers, led by Jammu & Kashmir unit president Arun Prabhat, held a protest at Pacca Danga assailing Pakistan for aiding and abetting terrorism in J&K.
They raised slogans against Pakistan and burnt posters of the country’s flags. “Pakistan is rattled by the popularity of Bharat after the success of the G20 Summit. That is why they are trying to disturb peace in J&K. They want to create trouble in the region,” Prabhat told reporters here. He urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to deal with the source of terrorism across the border sternly.
Dogra Front Shiv Sena (DFSS) workers staged a protest march in Jammu and demanded fresh strikes on terror infrastructure in PoK. They shouted anti-Pakistan slogans and set Pakistani flags on fire.
Adding fuel to the fire, a Member of Parliament from Srinagar and the National Conference (NC) president Dr Farooq Abdullah on Thursday said India and Pakistan will have to come to the dialogue table if they want to end bloodshed and find lasting peace in Jammu & Kashmir.
Former Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister also said wars did not resolve issues in the past nor will they bring peace in the future. Such incidents will continue if there is no dialogue. We are fools if we think that it (violence) will stop. We will keep losing lives…. There is no way but dialogue. Both countries should give up their stubbornness and hold talks,” Abdullah told reporters here after visiting the family of Humayun Bhat, a Deputy Superintendent of the Jammu & Kashmir Police who was martyred in a gunbattle with terrorists in Anantnag. In Jammu, Jammu & Kashmir BJP chief Ravinder Raina said no one should engage in politics at this time and no statements should be made that hurt the sentiments of the people of this country.
Reacting to National Conference president Farooq Abdullah’s remark that New Delhi and Islamabad will have to come to the dialogue table if they want to end the bloodshed and find lasting peace in Jammu & Kashmir, Raina accused Pakistan of aiding and abetting terrorism in the Union Territory. Pakistani terrorists have committed heinous crimes on a large scale and are constantly attempting to shed blood, he said, adding, “Our brave soldiers have always thwarted Pakistan’s nefarious intentions.”
“At a time when our valiant soldiers are fighting and sacrificing their lives to thwart the terrorists, no one should engage in politics. No statement should be made that hurts the sentiments of the people,” Raina said.