The activities in the terrorist training camps and launch pads in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) have increased in the last few days, say sources in intelligence agencies. The threat of cross-border terrorist activities has increased as Pakistan has been recently removed from the Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) grey list, they say.
Terrorists of the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) are planing to infiltrate into India. According to sources, training camps of such organisations across the border have increased by 50 per cent. There has also been an increase in the number of terrorists. More than 200 are trying to infiltrate before heavy snowfall, say officials.
According to information, terrorist camps and launch pads have been shifted to many places in the vicinity of the border. Houses along the other side of the border are being used as bases for operations. Apart from this, terrorists are also searching for new routes for infiltration. The training camps of LeT, JeM and Harkat-ul-Mujahideen (HuM) in Muzaffarabad, Kotli, Mansehra, Bimber, etc., of PoK have started working actively.
There are more than 20 launch pads in PoK where there has been a sudden increase in the number of terrorists. Both Pakistan’s army and ISI are providing help to them, sources said, adding that ISI had been conspiring to infiltrate terrorists into India through PoK.
In the last few days, more than 100 terrorists have reached the launch pads across the border in Machil, Keran and Gurez sectors of Jammu and Kashmir.
With Pakistan removed from the FATF list, security forces on the international border and the Line of Control (LoC) have increased their vigilance.
Under the cover of dense fog and snowfall, security forces have been instructed to patrol the border with full alertness in anticipation of an increase in infiltration attempts.
Sources said infiltration routes get closed after heavy snowfall, which is why new routes are being searched. A huge decrease was recorded in infiltration of terrorists in J&K and their funding was also tightened.
According to security agencies, in view of the intensified movement by terrorists in the past one week, it is believed that there may be an increase in incidents like infiltration, terror funding and narco-terrorism.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah recently said that after the abrogation of Article 370, there had been a 34 per cent reduction in terrorist activities and 54 per cent drop in the deaths of security forces.