Jammu And Kashmir: Loc Security Was Stepped Up With Ultras Waiting At Launch Pads

The Army and other agencies have tightened the security grid around the LoC in response to intelligence reports that terrorists at launch pads across Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) may try to infiltrate as soon as mountain routes are covered with snow.

Senior Army officers have been visiting advanced areas along the LoC, particularly Rajouri district, where many infiltration attempts have recently been recorded.

A few terrorists were fired down on the LoC in August, and one with bullet wounds was caught alive but died after a few days of treatment. On August 12, five soldiers were killed in a strike by Pakistani terrorists in Darhal, Rajouri.

According to a military intelligence official stationed in Udhampur, “Nowshera in Rajouri is particularly sensitive, where frequent infiltration attempts have occurred in recent days.” Terrorists are attempting to sneak in from the Jammu region before the winter, despite the rigorous surveillance along the LoC in Kashmir.”

According to the official, there were at least 130 terrorists on the other side of the LoC at 12 launch pads. “Terrorists are always deployed in groups of two to three so that they do not lose much in the event of a contact with the Army,” the official explained.

More infiltration bids are expected before the arrival of winter, according to intelligence authorities.

On September 8, Northern Command Lieutenant General Upendra Dwivedi visited forward areas in Rajouri to assess operations readiness and the security situation along the LoC.

Lieutenant General Manjinder Singh, Commander of the White Knight Corps (16 Corps), visited Rajouri LoC sectors on September 14 to inspect the counter-terrorism apparatus.

According to intelligence sources, the Pakistan-based ISI is also focused on fresh infiltration routes south of the Pir Panjal ranges in Rajouri and Poonch districts. “With most routes going to be closed for months owing to winter, Pakistan is doing everything it can to drive as many terrorists as possible into Jammu and Kashmir.”

Most of the Valley’s terror commanders have already been slain, and a season without terrorists can be a fatal blow to the Union Territory’s resistance,” an intelligence official noted.