Pakistan is sending terrorists in large numbers to Kashmir, digging tunnels with foreign help

New Delhi : Samba district, located on the international border with Pakistan in Jammu, has emerged as a major infiltration route for terrorists this year. Due to this, terrorist activities have increased in this area. For infiltration, terrorists are using the international border, north of Samba and the old route of Kashmir. The biggest and worrying thing for India is that these terrorists are digging tunnels using high-tech methods. According to a report by our associate Economic Times, terrorists are getting foreign help to dig tunnels. Terrorists are adopting high-tech methods to dig these tunnels. These tunnels are either opening in a place that is completely deserted or inside some houses or buildings. Due to this, it is difficult to identify them. Officials told ET that groups of infiltrators are infiltrating from the north of Samba district and then spreading to nearby Kathua and neighboring Reasi, Udhampur, Doda and Kishtwar districts. Officials said these infiltrators were being supported by other groups who had already infiltrated across the Line of Control (LoC) in the Rajouri-Poonch range, also known as the south of Pir Panjal region. Jammu and Kashmir shares a 740-km Line of Control (LoC) and 192-km International Border (IB) with Pakistan.

Officials suspect that the infiltrators may have managed to identify and exploit vulnerabilities along the high-security IB fence with some high-tech foreign assistance. This is helping them dig tunnels to breach the multi-layered security. A senior officer posted in Jammu told the Economic Times, “We have to identify whether they have been able to make some new tunnels with some high-tech foreign assistance… and it seems they (tunnels) are opening in some unmanned areas or inside some houses or buildings which are difficult to identify.”

Last year, Border Security Force (BSF) personnel deployed along the International Border had detected many such tunnels, officials said. In the last three months, more than 15 terror-related incidents have been reported in Jammu region in which 11 jawans, including two officers, 5 infiltrators and 9 pilgrims have been killed. 55 others have been injured in these terror attacks. An army officer said, “It seems they want to engage all around the LoC and IB in Jammu. They want to keep Jammu busy all around, so that we (army) remain committed here and do not get time to think of any adventure across the border.”

Officials claimed that after infiltrating, the terrorists pass through vast areas of land and mountains where not a single security personnel is deployed now. One of the officials said, “These areas were peaceful for more than two decades and forces were withdrawn from here to meet the challenges on the eastern border in Kashmir and Ladakh.”

According to officials, out of 70-80 foreign infiltrators active across Jammu and Kashmir, 55-60 are active in Jammu region. They are working in small groups. They said that most of the foreign infiltrators are currently in Kishtwar-Doda and Basantgarh areas of Jammu.

“There is no such thing as an infiltration route. It is about identifying vulnerabilities along the border and overcoming them, which always involves an element of surprise for the forces,” a senior police officer said.

Another senior officer in Jammu said the infiltrators have managed to contact some of the “old networks” of people who used to help the militants in the 1990s and early 2000s. “The infiltrators have the first move advantage and they have been able to spread out in small groups in these dangerous mountains in the last few months. So, more than operations, we have to focus on intelligence, which is sorely lacking, especially in Udhampur and Doda-Kishtwar area,” one of the officers said.

In Kashmir, infiltration attempts were made from the traditional areas of Kupwara and Baramulla earlier this year. Officials said attempts could also be made from Bandipora in north Kashmir. However, there has been no movement of infiltrators from north to south Kashmir so far and that is why Srinagar city is relatively calm. A police official said, “We have received information that some foreign terrorists may infiltrate from Rajouri Poonch range into Shopian and Kulgam areas of south Kashmir.”