Terror infrastructure in Pak 'existing and active': army chief

Terror infrastructure in Pakistan is "existing and active", according to army chief Gen Deepak Kapoor, who puts the number of terror camps there in between 30 and 50.

Pakistan seeks to convey an impression that it is taking action against terrorists and their infrastructure but the infrastructure was still active, Kapoor said.

The number of camps "on the other side" can "safely" be placed between 30 and 50, he said, adding that there had been a significant increase in such camps from 32 in 2005 to 53 last year.

Kapoor, who has served as chief of the Northern Command which include Jammu and Kashmir, said by and large most of these camps are located parallel along the Line of Control (LoC) and between 10 and 50 km away from the LoC. The numbers of these camps have been varying at times.

"I would rather put it that the infrastructure is active. Yes I would put it that way. I would not talk about the numbers specifically right now now because of the fact that some of these are closed. But infrastructure is existing and active."

Kapoor said there were some other camps which were not located along the LoC but possibly in certain other areas either in Punjab or even westwards of that.

"So that is from where you find that some of these people who may have either gone from this side, who have may have exfiltrated or those who are in the name of jihad asked to come as volunteers and join these gangs, trained there and thereafter an attempt is made to induct them," he said.

At times, Kapoor said, that policy has been varying. "At times it is actively supported by the establishment, it happens with their total connivance. When they claim it is not not actively supported, it may happen with covert connivance."

He said sometimes they would look at crossing the LoC in the worst kind of weather and most difficult terrain where the chances of being able to infiltrate through may be better.

Or at times the forces which are on their side can use the tactic of starting some kind of a firing in which people from the Indian forces get involved in retaliatory fire and possibly in that period of time and diversion when the patrolling level goes down they have the methodology to push through, he said.

The army chief expressed concern over the new routes being taken by the infiltrators to come to Jammu and Kashmir, may be through Nepal and Bangladesh.