On Sunday, Jammu and Kashmir Police chief Dilbag Singh said that 200 to 300 militants are currently active in the state and Pakistan has also intensified cross-border firing with the intention to push in more before the commencement of winter.
J&K Police Chief: 200 to 300 Militants Active in the State
He further added that a large number of militants had already managed to cross the border recently and sneak into the state even as the counter-infiltration grid scuttled various attempts by eliminating infiltrators.
During a visit to the border district of Poonch to review the security situation, Singh said, “The number of active militants (in Jammu and Kashmir) is between 200 to 300… the figure usually does not remain static and goes up and down.”
The director-general of police (DGP) also informed that Pakistan has intensified ceasefire violations to push in as many militants as possible.
He said, “A large number of ceasefire violations are taking place in both Kashmir and Jammu regions. It is going on in Kanachak, R S Pura and Hira Nagar (along the International Border) and quite frequently along the LoC in Poonch, Rajouri, Uri, Nambla, Karnah, and Keran. These ceasefire violations are aimed at pushing (in) as many militants as possible (before the onset of winter). Our anti-infiltration grid is very strong and many infiltration attempts have been successfully foiled in recent times.”
He added, “After their crossing onto this side, we had some encounters and some militants were also eliminated. While two Pakistani militants were arrested in the Gulmarg sector, two militants were killed in a four-day-long operation in Ganderbal on September 29.”
Singh said that some of these militants have been sighted at certain places and “we have intensified our operations against them”.
Speaking about the situation in the state post abrogation of its special status under Article 370 two months ago, Singh said that it is peaceful in Jammu, Leh, and Kargil and things are improving in Kashmir. He added, “We are hopeful that the situation will improve further there (Kashmir) in the coming days. Today, the movement of traffic was heavy in Srinagar and there were also traffic jams at some places. The markets have started opening and so have the businesses.”
Meanwhile, the DGP had visited Kulali, Marah, Hill Kaka and Mandi areas in Poonch. Senior Army and police officers briefed him about the prevailing security situation in these areas. According to a police spokesperson, Singh exhorted all ranks to remain vigilant to the emerging security challenges.
