In J&K, we have two types of border security arrangement viz, the Line of Control (LoC) and International Border (IB). The LoC came into existence after the cease fire with Pakistan in 1948, while the International Border came into existence after the partition of India and Radcliff Award. From Indian side, the mechanism of border security, naturally, is of two patterns; one that suits the LoC and the other for the international border spanning over 198 kilometers from Lakhanpur to Akhnoor spread over three districts of Jammu, Samba and Kathua.
Part of the proxy war begun by Pakistan in the State is the tactics of infiltration by Pakistanis under the rubric of non-state actors at different points in LoC. Infiltration bids increased substantially after Pakistan floated Operation Topac conceived by late Zia. Naturally, Indian defence establishment countered and frustrated these bids by taking adequate measures of strategic as well as tactical parameters. The result was that in due course of time, infiltration bids were contained or reduced considerably. As defensive as well as offensive measures of the army multiplied, infiltration bids decreased after heavy losses were inflicted on the enemy.
With that, Pakistani aggressors changed tactics. As Pak army raised non-state actors under various names denoting their religious orientation, like JM, HuM and LeT etc. in the roadmap of their changed tactics they now concentrated on the International Border in these three districts with the ultimate purpose of disrupting the main line of communication or the National Highway as we call it. Since most of our BSF, Para-military, Army and Police posts and bases are located in these three districts close to the international border, the tactics adopted by Pakistan was to send in suicide squads clandestinely across the IB who attacked military and security or police establishments with the purpose of disrupting normal flow of traffic along the vital line of communication. A series of attacks have taken place at security force installations including Army camps in Samba and Kathua districts, Hiranagar and Rajbagh police stations in Jammu sector, Pathankot airbase and Dinanagar police station in Punjab in the recent past. In almost all the cases, the militants were reported to have sneaked into the Indian Territory from Pakistan by breaching the International Border.
It appears that Pakistan is desperate to provoke India for major retaliation so that she is enabled to consolidate otherwise disintegrative and divisive forces within the country against India. However, our policy planners have come to the conclusion that no such opportunity is to be given to Pakistan even if we have the capacity for retaliation and silencing their guns. We want that Pakistan should explode within without external intervention. Under this strategy, now it is fairly obvious that we have to take only preventive and not offensive measures. The preventive measures have two aspects in general. One is to have adequate retaliatory capacity so that Pakistan is not able to go beyond the limits, and second is to provide safety and rehabilitation provision for the border dwellers once they come under enemy fire and are subjected to both human loss and loss of property like cattle, structures and crops.
It is reassuring that the Home Ministry, within whose jurisdiction security and safety of the border falls, has taken a serious view and is planning to address both the aspects of border security sensitization. The Home Ministry has dispatched a high level team of six senior officers to visit the IB in J&K and Punjab and submit a detailed report of the existing security scenario and what needs to be done to make border security mechanism foolproof. After all this is going to be a permanent feature. The team has visited Jammu and is now on its visit to Punjab. The main task before the team is to identify the clandestine routes which the Pakistan infiltrators adopt or are likely to adopt in the course of bids for sneaking into Indian side and creating security situation as in Dinanagar or Pathankot or Samba. The team is on a vital mission and has met a variety of officers and even civilians living on the IB and interacted with them. Of course, the team has before it the report on the Pathankot air base attack and will examine the gaps in border security mechanism and suggest remedial measures.
We feel that this was a much needed survey that should have been conducted many years ago when it became clear that we are not going to retaliate in any bigger way so as to widen the scope of fighting. The team, as we understand, has great responsibility and hopefully it will be able to deliver the goods. We welcome the decision of the Home Ministry to take a holistic view of this border situation and plan for security of border that will become lasting.
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