SRINAGAR – Confirming that some militants have sneaked into this side from Pakistan Controlled Kashmir (PCK), Director General of Police (DGP) Dilbagh Singh said majority infiltration bids from across the border were thwarted by the security forces.
Meanwhile, reviewing the overall security situation, particularly with regard to safety of fruit traders and outside labourers, Singh directed the field commanders of different security agencies in Shopian to intensify patrolling in orchards and other places, where apples are being loaded in trucks.
Singh on Thursday visited Shopian, hours after gunmen killed a Punjab resident and injured another in Shopian on Wednesday night.
The DGP said security forces guarding Line of Control (LoC) and International Border (IB) in Jammu and Kashmir are on high alert to foil any infiltration bid from PcK, where a large number of militants are waiting in launch pads to sneak into this side before the higher reaches are closed due to snowfall.
“There are few hundred trained militants who are waiting to infiltrate into this side under the cover of Pakistani troops who are violating 2003 ceasefire,” he said.
He said some of the militants have managed to sneak into this side in 2019. However, he said, majority of the infiltration attempts have been thwarted by the troops guarding the LoC and IB.
“Security forces are on high alert to foil any such attempt and meet any challenge in future also,” he said.
Singh he visited Shopian to instill confidence among the fruit traders and outside workers that security forces are with them. However, he said, fruit traders will have to take some precautionary measure to foil the designs of militants who wanted to “terrorize” the people and outsider traders and labourers.
He said from now security forces will conduct patrolling in orchards and other places in south Kashmir so that farmers could pluck apple and other fruits and later load them in trucks. “We have identified some points from where fruit could be loaded in trucks for outside the valley mandis. The farmers should use small vehicles to take their product from orchards to select points, where adequate security measures are in place,” he said.
About the killing of outsiders in south Kashmir districts of Shopian and Pulwama, the DGP said this is all frustration as people in Kashmir wanted to live in peace. “The militants responsible for the killing of Punjab resident Charanjeet Singh and injury to another have been identified as Salman Afghani, Rahil Magray and Naveed Babu of Lashker-e-Toiba (LeT) and Hizbul Mujahideen (HM). We are after them and they will be eliminated,” he said.
Singh admitted that suspension of mobile and internet service in the valley has affected operations against militants. “When there was mobile connectivity, security forces were getting information about the militant movement within minutes,” he said, adding after suspension of mobile service ‘we were getting information after four hours’.
Only about six militants were killed after suspension of mobile network on August 5, against an average of about 20 militants every month earlier.
However, the DGP offered no comments on detention of politicians, including three former chief ministers Dr Farooq Abdullah, his son Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti. He said no comments when asked when they will be released.
Besides three former CM’s, several dozen former ministers, legislators and other leaders were arrested or put under house arrest from August 5.
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