*Pak commanders among 108 ultras killed last year
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Apr 12: Due to the multi-pronged approach adopted by the Union Government in tandem with the State Government, terrorist violence and infiltration attempts in border State of Jammu and Kashmir are decreasing continuously during the past several years. The situation is likely to improve further in the years to come as all out efforts are being made to strengthen the security and surveillance mechanism along the International Border and Line of Control with Pakistan.
This has been revealed by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs in its Annual Report for the year 2015-16, the details of which are available with EXCELSIOR. The State of J&K has been affected by terrorist and secessionist violence sponsored and supported from across the border for more than two decades. Since the advent of militancy in Jammu and Kashmir in 1990, 13,921 civilians and 4,961 security force personnel have lost their lives till 2015.
In the year 2011, there were 340 incidents of terrorist violence in which 22 security forces personnel and 31 civilians lost their lives. Moreover, 100 terrorists were killed during this year across Jammu and Kashmir. Similarly, in 2012, 38 security forces personnel and 11 civilians lost their lives in 220 incidents of terrorist violence wherein 50 terrorists also got eliminated.
In 2013, 53 security forces personnel and 15 civilians lost their lives in 170 incidents of terrorist violence besides 67 militants too got killed at the hands of the security forces. In 2014, 222 such incidents took place in which 47 security forces personnel and 28 civilians got killed besides 110 militants having been eliminated by the armed forces.
During last year, the incidents of terrorist violence declined to 208 as well as casualty of security forces personnel and civilians. In these incidents, only 39 security personnel and 17 civilians lost their lives and security forces succeeded in eliminating 108 terrorists.
“This indicates that there was decrease in terrorist violence as well as in casualties of security forces and civilians in 2015 in comparison to 2014”, MHA said, adding “among the 108 terrorists neutralized during the year were senior Pakistani commanders of prominent militant groups”. Not only on terrorist violence front, even the general law and order situation in J&K remained normal during last year.
Stating that ongoing militancy in J&K is intrinsically linked with infiltration of terrorists from across the border, both from the International Border and the Line of Control, the MHA said, “during 2015 infiltration attempts deceased significantly in comparison to 2014. Moreover, successful infiltrations have also come down considerably”.
As per the statistics of MHA, in 2011 a total of 247 infiltration attempts were made of which 52 were successful while as in 2012 the number of attempts increased to 264 with 121 successful. Though the attempts of infiltration further increased in 2013 but the number of successful ones decreased to 97. In 2014, there were 222 infiltration attempts with 65 successful ones but during 2015 the attempts got decreased to 118 and successful ones declined to 36.
This is being attributed to the multi-pronged approach adopted by the Union Government in tandem with the State Government to contain cross border infiltration, which includes strengthening of the border infrastructure, multi-tier deployment along the International Border/Line of Control and near the ever changing infiltration routes, construction of border fencing, improved technological surveillance, weapons and equipments for security forces, improved intelligence and operational coordination, synergized intelligence flow and pro-active action against terrorists within the State.
“The Government has also adopted various counter-terrorism strategies to neutralize the efforts and capabilities of militants to disturb the peace in the State”, the MHA said, adding “policies to mainstream the youth and discourage the local youth from joining militancy are also being encouraged”.
The MHA said that all out efforts are being made to tackle the socio-economic problems facing the people on account of the effects of prolonged militancy in Jammu and Kashmir and to ensure a sustained peace and to provide adequate opportunities to all sections of people in the State, who eschew violence to effectively represent their view points and to address their genuine grievances.
In order to further strengthen the security and surveillance mechanism along the International Border with Pakistan, the Ministry of Home Affairs has issued instructions for expeditious up-gradation of 38 Border Out Posts (BOPs) in Jammu. This is being done to reduce the inter-BOP distance to 3.5 kilometers.
Though 186 kilometers of International Border has already been fenced, the MHA has issued directions for expeditious floodlighting of remaining 10 kilometers of the IB. Out of 186 kilometer IB to be floodlit, work on 176 kilometers has already been completed and on remaining 10 kilometers work is in progress.
The MHA is also laying equal focus on India-China border in Ladakh sector by taking up construction of roads, which are imperative for effective and timely movement/deployment of the security forces personnel.
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