Our neighbouring country may be struggling on the financial front, but on the terrorism and narcotics smuggling fronts, they are still very active and doing enough damage to our fight against terrorism to warrant concern. No doubt terrorist activities have come down drastically, and more or less the whole of Jammu and Kashmir is peaceful. Sporadic incidents do happen, and these are last-ditch efforts by the active masters from across the border to keep the pot boiling. There are no more stone-pelting incidents, shutdowns, or huge processions. The majority of the public has understood the futility of violence and no longer supports terrorist activities. Perturbed by these developments and unable to recruit locals to fan out trouble in Jammu and Kashmir, master handlers have changed the strategy. Though the Army and BSF are able to neutralize the majority of smuggling and intrusion bids, somehow a certain percentage of smuggled arms and narcotics are trickling down to keep terrorism alive. The easy availability of drugs in the entire Jammu and Kashmir region is a testimony that the neighbouring country is to some extent, successful in its mission to push drug menace. The latest carriers for drug and arms smuggling are drones. Countermeasures are there, but pilferage is there and is of great concern. Another factor is terrorists crossing the border and using Jammu-Srinagar NH-44 to reach Kashmir. Numerous encounters all along Lakhanpur to Udhampur had occurred, pointing to the presence of easy routes to cross the border and OGWs and UGWs in the cities and border areas of Jammu Division sheltering and helping them.
MHA has analyzed the grey areas, gauged the whole situation, and rightly ordered the establishment of Border Police Posts in all the border districts. This is an important decision as another line of defence has been created for additional checks. The local police are involved in establishing BPPs. The local dialect is a very important issue and a challenge for security forces. The local police are well-versed in the local languages being used and have their intelligence input from various sources. The raising of VDCs was very much along these lines itself, and now Border Police Posts will counter narcotics, weapons, and terrorist smuggling. The disarmament of VDCs was never the right decision, and innocent people paid the price. These BPPs will be a major deterrent and of huge support to other security forces. Another area that requires immediate attention is intelligence sharing. All loopholes have to be plugged in, and if the intelligence inputs are there but we are still not able to counter the threat perceptions, then it is a serious matter that requires immediate action. It is a fact that security cannot be provided to every individual, but additional checks and balances create additional pressure on terrorists and their sympathizers. Enemies across the border are feeling the heat. These additional proactive measures will go a long way to suffocate and wipe out remaining traces of terrorism and induce confidence among the local population.
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