250 terrorists waiting along LoC to sneak in

Pakistan has amassed a large number of trained jihadis at the launch pads on the other side of the Line of Control (LoC) for possible infiltration into the restive Jammu and Kashmir this summer.

The revelation comes at a time when Pakistan army opened fire on the civilian porters in Keran sector, leaving one person dead and another injured, even as the Indian Army foiled an infiltration bid and killed an intruder in the Krishna Ghati Sector of LoC.

"Around 200 to 250 terrorists are present at the launch pads and Pakistan is making desperate attempts to push them into this side. Indian army has taken measures to eliminate maximum terrorists on the LoC itself. You have seen the results in the last 10- 15 days," said Major General AK Singh, General Officer Commanding (GOC), Kilo Force of the Indian Army.

Major General Singh noted that infiltration is up, so is the number of terrorists in the valley. "Our operations have also increased. I would say youth drifting towards militancy definitely is a challenge for Kashmir. At the same time, only a few youth have joined militancy. I would say it is a success for us that despite so much of propaganda only small fraction of youth have got attracted towards militancy," he said.

Around 95 terrorists are currently operating in North Kashmir and security forces have stepped up offensive to neutralise them. "There are 90 to 95 terrorists active in north Kashmir. We are conducting operation against them and I hope their number will come down", said Major General Singh.

Official figures reveal that there are more than 200 terrorists operating in the valley, of which 110 are locals and rest are from outside, mostly from Pakistan. Ninety five ultras are new recruits who joined the terrorist ranks last year. More than 100 terrorists are active in the South Kashmir region alone.

Data released by Ministry of Home Affairs reveals that there have been 364 infiltration attempts last year compared to 121 in 2015. Estimated net infiltration (number of terrorists who managed to sneak in) was 112 in 2016 compared to 33 in 2015. Similarly, 222 infiltration attempts were made in 2014 and estimated net infiltration was 65. In 2013, 277 infiltration attempts were made and 97 terrorists managed to sneak in.