Apprehending infiltration ahead of winter, vigil beefed up along LoC

Srinagar: Apprehending that terrorists would try to infiltrate into Kashmir ahead of winter as the passes get closed due to heavy snowfall, the vigil along the Line of Control (LoC) in the region has been beefed up.

Kashmir experiences heavy snowfall during the winter months, primarily from November to March.

This snowfall is a natural meteorological phenomenon and the snow covers the landscape, making it look like a winter wonderland, and has significant implications for various aspects of life in Kashmir.

Though the three-tier grid along with surveillance equipment on the LoC has made it tougher for infiltrators to sneak into J&K, in June three to five infiltration attempts were made in the Kupwara sector in which 11 foreign infiltrators were killed and a huge cache of arms and ammunition was recovered from the killed infiltrators.

This year in the frontier district of Kupwara, a total number of nine infiltration bids were foiled and 22 terrorists were killed.

Almost all the bids were foiled by the J&K Police and the Army.

Notably, the infiltration bids were foiled in north Kashmir — in the Uri, Tangdhar, and Machil sectors.

“As winter is around, Pakistan will try to push more terrorists,” Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Kupwara, Yougal Manhas told Greater Kashmir.

He said that for one-and-a-half months they would try to sneak in more numbers.

“We have greater synergy and we are there to foil their nefarious design,” Manhas said.

Senior Army officials here said that besides arms and ammunition, the infiltrators carry along drugs.

According to the Army, one group comprising four foreign infiltrators who were killed in the Machil sector in Kupwara were carrying 55 packets of narcotics along with arms and ammunition, including nine rifles.

“We are already having beefed up security around the LoC in Kupwara district that stretches right from Nowgam that falls under the jurisdiction of 19 Infantry Division up to areas of Gurez which are managed by the 28 Infantry Division based in Kupwara,” senior Army officials said. “The vigil has been beefed up in the backdrop of winter.”

Ahead of the winter,

now special surveillance is on the Gurez, Keran, Gulmarg, and Uri sectors which have remained traditional infiltration routes during the past three decades.

After the LoC ceasefire in 2021, the infiltration bids in the Tangdhar sector of the Kupwara district came down in north Kashmir.

However, drugs are still being smuggled regularly as per the officials.

The months of June, July, and August witnessed the largest number of infiltration bids.

As many mountains in northern Kashmir that fall on the traditional infiltration routes are still covered under blankets of snow, officials fear heightened activity once it clears out.

Official data reveals that in 2020, there were around 99 attempts of infiltration from across the border or LoC.

In 2021, after India and Pakistan entered into a ceasefire agreement on the LoC, there were 73 attempts.

Director General of Police Dilbag Singh had also acknowledged that some attempts of infiltration were successful this year.

“Various agencies of Pakistan are trying to keep the dying terrorism alive in J&K by engaging in such type activities. Our anti-infiltration grid is strong and alert on borders and foiled many attempts of infiltration. Around half a dozen infiltration attempts were foiled. One or two attempts from Pakistan were successful in Poonch and Rajouri area and terrorists targeted civilians and security forces in Poonch and Rajouri,” he said.

General Officer Commanding (GOC), Vajra Division, Girish Kalia in a recent press conference said that there was a ceasefire agreement between India and Pakistan, however, in the recent past they have been getting a large number of intelligence inputs of likely infiltration from across the LoC.