Pakistan: Tight grip at home, but terror infrastructure thriving in Pakistan: Officials

NEW DELHI: The Anantnag encounter, in which an Army Colonel and a Major as well as a J&K Police DSP were killed on Wednesday, is a grim reminder that the terror infrastructure remains virtually intact across the border in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir, security establishment officials say.
Terrorist violence has witnessed a significant reduction in J&K over the last couple of years due to the Army maintaining a “robust” counter-infiltration grid as well as the “excellent synergy” between the intelligence agencies and security forces in counter-terror operations in the hinterland.

“But that does not mean there is any change in Pakistan’s strategy to fuel its proxy war in J&K. The terror infrastructure across the border is alive and kicking in the shape of training camps, launch pads and the like. The Pak Army-ISI combine continues to extend active help to various tanzims like Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed, Al Badr and others,” an official said.

With infiltration attempts across the Line of Control being largely thwarted by the Army, Northern Command chief Lt-General Upendra Dwivedi on Wednesday said terrorists are now also infiltrating through Punjab and Nepal as well. “Pakistan is up to its old tricks of sending terrorists across the border to disturb peace in J&K,” he said.
There is especially a discernible attempt by Pakistan to revive terrorism in areas south of the Pir Panjal range. “As per intelligence inputs, Pakistan continues to harbour over 150 well-trained terrorists at border launch pads. Moreover, there is the growing narco-terror nexus being sponsored from across the border,” the official said.
The Resistance Front, a proxy of LeT, has claimed responsibility for the killing of Colonel Manpreet Singh and Major Aashish Dhonchak of 19 Rashtriya Rifles and DSP Humayun Bhat in the fierce gunfight in the Kokernag area of Anantnag district.