Security forces are bracing themselves to prevent last-ditch attempt by Pakistan Army and ISI-backed terrorists to infiltrate into Jammu & Kashmir in the next fortnight and escalate levels of violence before all ingress routes are blocked by snow thereby making it difficult to sneak in from across the line of Control.
Coupled with this factor, the annual shifting of State Government from Srinagar to Jammu for the winter months by October-end has also added to the concerns of the commanders as Intelligence reports indicate that terrorists will try to disrupt the capital shifting by attacking convoys and high-value targets. “This anticipated move will take place to make their (terrorists) presence felt,” officials in the security establishment said here on Sunday.
Elaborating upon the security scenario, they said the counter-insurgency grid comprising the Army, local police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) is also worried about the ongoing efforts by laskhar-e-Tayyaba (leT), Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) and Hizbul Mujahideen to recruit the Kashmiri youth to their fold.
While leT and JeM are Pakistan-based, Hizbul Mujahideen is a local outfit and they have suffered casualties in the past few months due to sustained operations in South and North Kashmir by the security forces.
More than 170 terrorists were neutralised till now this year but the commanders fear that these terror outfits will try to hit back in the next few weeks in a bid to gain “ascendancy”. To counter this expected move, the Army and other forces have stepped up their operations besides enhancing security of their establishments to prevent terrorists from attacking them or ambush convoys, they said.
About 200 terrorists are estimated to be in the Valley with majority in South Kashmir, over 100. About 70-80 terrorists are estimated in North Kashmir.
“In Srinagar there are about 10-15 terrorists. Once the Government moves to Jammu, these terrorists will consolidate,” they said. In fact, the Army has launched a major campaign along with the police and CRPF to either capture or neutralise terrorists in North Kashmir as most of them are foreigners and have managed to escape the dragnet due to difficult terrain.
Officials also admitted that though the security forces were successful in neutralising the top leadership of the three terror groups operating in Kashmir “but it takes very little to get a new head. The moment someone is nominated he is a leader. So that has limited effect.”
As regards the loC, officials said they were concerned over the casualties in the cease fire violations on the border due to firing by Pakistan Army to help terrorists infiltrate into the State. Moreover, Pakistan Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa was now visiting loC more often and it was noticed that violations generally went up before and after his tours there, they said.