Fall in number of recruits at launchpads across LoC

Mukesh Ranjan

New Delhi, March 10

The Intelligence agencies in one of their recent reports have indicated that the number of terror recruits parked across the Line of Control (LOC) in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) has come down to half of what it was a few months back, sources in the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said.

By the end of January, nearly 70-odd terrorists were spotted in the wings across the LoC, waiting to infiltrate to the Indian side. The report said their number around this period last year was 115-120.

The fall in the number of terrorists on the other side has been attributed to better coordination among security agencies and defence personnel, the situation along the Line of Control being relatively peaceful.

“The Army and BSF, who guard the borders at the LoC, have been coordinating well. This has led to improved area domination by the forces. Better surveillance techniques have also made infiltration very difficult for the terrorists,” a source explained.

A senior security official attributed the deceased numbers to Pakistan’s attempt to come out of the “grey list” of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). The latter has directed Pakistan to do more in investigating and prosecuting terrorists belonging to United Nation-designated terrorist groups.

Pakistan’s bid to come out of grey list

A dip in the number of terror recruits can be attributed to Pakistan’s attempt to come out of the grey list of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). The latter has directed Pakistan to do more in investigating and prosecuting terrorists belonging to UN-designated terrorist groups.