Jammu, March 9
Despite instructions to activists of the Lashkar-e-Toiba and the Jaish-e-Mohammad to carry out “spectacular strikes” against the security forces and political leaders militants have been forced to play safe.
Official sources say interception of wireless messages had revealed that leaders of the Jaish-e-Mohammad and the Lashkar-e-Toiba in Pakistan had sent instructions to their activists in Jammu and Kashmir to intensify “ongoing Jehad”. However, rebels are not in a position to intensify violence.
Several factors are said to have contributed to dilute power of militants.
Snow brought down the level of infiltration, better border management by security forces coupled with the completion of fencing on the 80 per cent of the LoC and the International Border had prevented militants brought to launching pads across the borders between August and September last, from sneaking into Jammu and Kashmir.
The sources confirmed that Pakistani troops also reduced assistance to infiltrators. Number of militants, active in Jammu and Kashmir, went down from over 5,000 to 2,000, which includes nearly 1,200 in the Kashmir valley in the past three and a half months.
The sources said during the past three months more than 250 militants, including 12 commanders of the Hizbul Mujahidin, the Jaish-e-Mohammad and the Lashkar-e-Toiba were killed.
In addition to this, many foreign mercenaries are said to have returned to Pakistan fearing trapping due to ceasefire on the LoC. Though the Lashkar-e-Toiba and the Jaish-e-Mohammad had initiated engaging local boys in their outfits the response to it has been poor.
According to a senior BSF officer, agencies across the border would see to it, prior to the enforcement of ceasefire on the LoC, that in case 20 militants were killed in a month 30 were assisted in infiltrating into the state to maintain the level of manpower.
He, however, feared the rate of infiltration from across the LoC might rise again once the border routes became passable after the melting of snow. The level of infiltration after the month of May, might rise, he added.
