MHA tells security forces to strengthen the anti-infiltration grid along the Line of Control

Chinese agencies have tied-up with Pakistan’s ISI to further push arms and ammunition into Jammu and Kashmir to step up anti-India activities in the Union Territory, as per a report submitted by India’s intelligence grid to the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Sources in the security establishment said, as per the intelligence report, China has sent “explicit instructions” to the ISI to flood J&K with weapons of all kinds and this was further substantiated with the seizures by the forces in the UT, which mostly have the Chinese markings.

A senior official in one of the security units deployed in J&K, however, claimed that the robust anti-infiltration grid in the UT had so far made it difficult for the ISI to push either terrorists or weapons into the Valley.

“But the Chinese authorities have given an ultimatum to the ISI to push infiltrators and weapons as much as possible before the onset of winters,” said the official.

As a follow up to the report, while sharing it with the chiefs of security forces, the MHA asked them to further strengthen the anti-infiltration grid along the Line of Control. “And in line with the instructions from the MHA Border Security Force (BSF) chief Rakesh Asthana and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) chief AP Maheshwari have visited Jammu and Kashmir in the past two weeks to review situation and give their feedback to the MHA,” said a senior security official.

According to sources from among the forces on the ground, the Pakistani forces with the help of the ISI appear to have changed the rule of engagement and modus operandi. They are not sending infiltrators with weapons and do not fire when intruders make an attempt to cross over the LOC. Weapons are being send separately either by drones or other means to minimise the risk of terrorists getting killed.

The officials said in their report to the MHA that the intelligence agencies had also warned that local recruitment of terrorists was on the rise in the Valley.

Courtesy : Daily Tribune:  2nd October, 2020