Terrorist infiltration has slowed along the Line of Control (LoC) in the Kashmir sector, but attempts are still being made across the International Border (IB) in Jammu and Punjab, according to Army Chief General Manoj Pande. He further said that a new tendency in Kashmir is for Pakistani proxy groups to use local youngsters to give insurgency an "indigenous colour."
To propagate sensationalism, the terror groups are targeting non-locals, political officials, and minorities in the Valley, he claimed. During an engagement with journalists at Army Headquarters General Pande, who took over as Army Chief last month, discussed the situation in Kashmir. He stated that the Army is continuing its counter-terrorist operations.
He attributed the decrease in infiltration since 2019 to the powerful counter-infiltration grid in Kashmir along the Line of Control. He did stress, however, that "an attempt" to infiltrate from the international border in Jammu and Punjab is ongoing.
First Army chief publicly highlight the infiltration through IB
While infiltration over the International Border has long been discussed in Army circles as a contributing factor to Kashmir's high number of foreign terrorists, this is the first time an Army commander has publicly addressed the matter. General Pande claimed that the International Border in Jammu and Punjab is being utilised to smuggle narcotics, as well as guns and ammunition, into Kashmir to support the terror infrastructure.
Terrorists have already entered the Valley via trucks and other vehicles. Four suspected Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorists were eliminated in an encounter with security personnel on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway near Nagrota in November 2020. They were hiding in a truck.
