An attack planned for 26/11, the anniversary of a gruesome bloody terror attack in Mumbai in 2008 planned and executed from the soil of Pakistan with the blessings and active support from the establishment there, has been thwarted by the security forces at Nagrota Ban Toll Plaza on November 19 in the wee hours in which all the four terrorists were killed right in the truck itself which they were hiding in and which was heading towards Kashmir valley. The timing of the attempt to sneak in the UT from the International Border (IB) can very accurately be linked to the plans to disturb the approaching first ever District Development Council (DDC) elections in Jammu and Kashmir. It may be noted that this is the second incident at almost the same spot this year and fourth between Nagrota -Jhajjar Kotli during the last four years. All the four terrorists were believed to be from the terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) who were hiding in the cavity of the truck laden with rice. Two policemen too received non-fatal injuries in the encounter and were recovering fast.
The joint team of the Jammu and Kashmir Police and the CRPF deserve accolades in signalling the truck to stop at the Toll Plaza as the Jammu and Kashmir Police had very specific inputs that some infiltrators were trying to sneak in to indulge in wide spread disturbances on the eve of and during the DDC elections . Sensing all was over, the truck driver jumped out and managed to flee while the terrorists hiding in the truck started firing and lobbying grenades whereupon they were killed in the truck itself. The magnitude and the extent of this infiltration can be gauged by the cache of the arms and ammunition they were carrying and had managed to bring along while infiltrating and right up to loading the same in the truck. The haul of arms and ammunition collected from the truck comprised 11 AK rifles, 24 magazines, 29 grenades, 6 UBGLs and electronic circuits. According to the Police, the arms haul indicates that the terrorists were suicide bombers belonging to JeM terror outfit. Not only this, the ultras were carrying medicines, injections etc manufactured in Pakistan .
While a sense of great satisfaction can be felt in that all the four terrorists were eliminated but not before giving them ample chance to surrender for which repeated announcements were made but since they were reported to have been armed to the teeth in order to conduct attacks as suicide bombers , they resorted to firing on the security forces and in a gun battle that ensued lasting for three hours , their end came in the truck itself. There are, however, certain pertinent questions which arise as a natural corollary looking to the same modus operandi resorted to by these infiltrators in order to reach Kashmir from Jammu . They used International border to infiltrate in all the attempts that have been thwarted but curiously not at a place earlier than around the area at Jammu’s Jhajjar Kotli and Ban Toll Plaza. Can it be ruled out that many infiltrators might have succeeded to manage to reach South Kashmir unchecked and unchallenged en-route the National Highway? The same not being any surmises but actually confirmed by the truck operators who were apprehended at this very patch of area during previous encounters, must be a cause of concern.
That these Pakistan sponsored militants could manage to reach this far from the entry point somewhere through the IB and either were not signalled to stop and subjected the truck to searches all through as it was an incoming vehicle into the valley or they managed to give a slip to the personnel on duty at various Nakas, is a matter of greater ramifications and leaves no space to any chances now at least for any future eventualities. Could these terrorists manage to infiltrate and carry with them so much of arms and ammunition without the active support of Pakistani forces? Could such activities on an unabated basis against India, not be construed as the state policy of Pakistan to keep fuelling the terror activities in Jammu and Kashmir on a continuous basis? After abrogation of Article 370 and the special status and Jammu and Kashmir becoming a Union Territory, Pakistan being at its wits ends and increasingly frustrated on account of falling isolated in the comity of nations , now resorting to frequent border violations and fuelling of terror activities vain fully projecting this part of the country as a hot spot to try to attract international attention, needs to be taken very seriously.
The question is how long can such infiltration and fuelling terror and associated violence be allowed to disturb and disrupt peace and normal life in the UT of Jammu and Kashmir? Even after suffering the damage and wide embarrassment on account of surgical strikes by India, Pakistan is not showing any sort of change in its policy of promoting terrorism and other aggressive postures against this country. Imagine, had these terrorists along with the huge haul of arms and ammunition, managed to reach their nefarious destination, how much of problems would have been there as a result of executing of their nefarious plans? At least, with this incident and the fourth one during the last four years, the “talk to Pakistan” lobby must introspect and ponder over the futility of their parroting of such a stance looking to the nefarious designs of that country. Verily, that country lacked the merit of a civilized country to be talked to with intent to resolve some dispute or problem.
On Friday itself, taking stock of the situation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a high level review meeting which was attended by the Union Home Minister Amit Shah, National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Dovel, Foreign Secretary and the top intelligence establishment after receiving inputs that the slain terrorists were plotting attack on 26/11 anniversary. It is expected that such infiltrations and a problem on a continuous basis now for nearly four decades which this country has been reeling with, would be met with more stringency and deterrence. ‘Enough is enough’ must, now, be firmly conveyed to forces across the border sponsoring terrorism against this country.
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