Search the Internet          Tips  Indo-Pak Summit

Massive cross-border infiltration in Kashmir

Sheela Bhatt in New Delhi

Five hundred militants have sneaked into the state of Jammu and Kashmir from Pakistan in the last three months, said a top-level officer of an intelligence agency based in Srinagar in a telephonic conversation with rediff.com on Friday.

According to him, the infiltration of the jihadis has not come down despite the thawing of relations between India and Pakistan.

He said, "Oh yes, infiltration is very much on. According to the report we have sent to the home ministry, around 500 militants have crossed the border since the month of April, and are now hiding in the mountains of Jammu and Kashmir. This will continue till October. Obviously, Pakistan has not changed its policy on Kashmir. They have a vested interest."

He added that most of the infiltrators are Pakistanis.

When asked about the threat given by Lashkar-e-Tayiba and Hizbul Mujahideen after the failure of Agra summit, the officer said, "Most of their threats are plain rhetoric. But certainly we can't ignore it. We believe that Hizbul Mujahideen Chief Commander Abdul Majid Dar and his counterpart in other side of border have a difference of opinion. Dar supported ceasefire unlike his counterparts on the other side. And we have certain reports to believe that LeT has certainly lost local level support, leading to infiltration of mercenaries."

When asked whether there could be any effect of Agra summit on the security agencies, he replied, "No. We had no expectations. We are not disappointed. The only thing we could observe is that for the first time diplomacy has been practiced through media. There are too many vested forces that want to make money. Perhaps they used media to pressurise the negotiations."

When asked about the possible spurt in violence due to the threats issued by militant leaders in Pakistan, an experienced sleuth based in the valley said, "Our morale is high because before, during, and after Agra, nothing has changed. We are fighting and it's our job."

He added that they had killed around 157 militants till 15 July. Our ratio of success is quite good, he added.

Indo-Pak Summit 2001: The Complete Coverage

Back to top

Tell us what you think of this report