With no major snowfall around LoC, winter strategy in place to foil infiltration

Srinagar, Dec 12: Unlike the past two years, the passes along the Line of Control (LoC) in north Kashmir used to get closed due to heavy snowfall and it was difficult for infiltrators to sneak in.
However, this year the passes are still open because of no major snowfall and security establishment officials said efforts were still there to increase the number of trained infiltrators.

Officials say that this spurt in terror activity in J&K during the past sometime points to increased Pakistani attempts to heat up J&K before the onset of winter when infiltration in the high northern reaches becomes difficult due to heavy snowfall.

In the last two years, there was snowfall in the first week of November and that used to close passes to bring ease to troops along the LoC.

The LoC, which is going through a phase of peace after the February 26 ceasefire agreement between India and Pakistan, is on high alert after some infiltration attempts this year.

The officials in the security establishment said intelligence agencies had warned of more such attempts amid reports of the presence of several terror groups at launch pads across the LoC.

“Infiltration attempts over the past sometime are an indication that there could be bids particularly where almost all traditional infiltration routes are open as there has been no major snowfall,” officials in the security establishment told Greater Kashmir.

They said that the three-tier grid of the Army along with surveillance equipment on the LoC has made it tougher for infiltrators to sneak in.

“Now it is dense, only 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. Presently there is a high alert in terms of infiltration on LoC and now, amid foggy conditions, troops on LoC have been asked to maintain the highest state of alertness to foil
infiltration attempts,” they said.

The officials said that in foggy conditions, visibility on LoC gets reduced to a minimal state and thick forest cover, thick bush cover, hilly terrain, and overgrown grass further make the visibility low amid foggy conditions.

“Low visibility is one of the key factors that can give terrorists a good cover to infiltrate and in the past, it has also been seen that attempts of infiltration are made in a season when there is a reduction in visibility,” a senior Army official said. “With the recent intelligence alerts about the presence of a large number of terrorists who are ready to sneak in, apprehensions of infiltration amid foggy conditions have swelled.”

Officials said that in the backdrop of winter – a Winter Strategy ensures special surveillance is on in Gurez, Keran, Gulmarg, and Uri sectors, which are traditional infiltration routes.
Most of the infiltration bids in Uri and Machil sectors of north Kashmir were foiled this year.

After the LoC ceasefire in 2021, the infiltration bids had come down in north Kashmir.

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

“While Uri lies on the LoC, close to the strategic Haji Pir Pass on the Pir Panjal range, Anantnag is located between the Pir Panjal range and Srinagar and is accessible to terrorists infiltrating from areas south of the Pir Panjal,” the officials said. “Round-the-clock surveillance is on these routes to foil their movement.”