Security Deployment Reshuffled As J&K's Twin Districts Back On Terror Radar

Though cross-border infiltration is at its lowest this year, so far, security agencies have raised an alarm about an increase in activity at the Line of Control along Jammu and Kashmir's border districts of Rajouri and Poonch. There has been a spike in infiltration attempts, they said.

"There is no denying that infiltration is taking place from these areas. If attempts are being thwarted by security forces, the possibility of another group going undetected are relatively high," a senior officer on the ground said.

According to him, Pakistan's strategy is clear -- even if 20 to 30 percent of infiltrators get shot down in encounters, they will keep pushing more terrorists. "This is an all-weather route, so that also works in their advantage, and they can also easily cross over to the valley," he added.

The rising casualties in the last two years in the area have forced them to a reshuffle in planning.

As per the government, a total of 26 security personnel, including three officers, five paratroopers, and seven civilians, have been killed in these areas since October 21, 2021.

Agencies have also warned security forces operating on the ground of a rise in infiltration attempts.

"Cordon and search operations are now an everyday affair. We keep hearing about encounters and casualties," Dhiraj Sharma, Sarpanch of the Dangri village in Rajouri, told NDTV. 

This region was relatively calmer since the mid-2000s, after being a hotbed of insurgency in the late 1990s. But lately, the twin district has seen alarming violence.

"After Galwan, forces were thinned down in this area, but now arithmetic is being worked out again," a senior level officer disclosed.

According to him, terrorists are now targeting the Rajouri-Poonch belt in the Pir Panjal region "after suffering setbacks in Kashmir". 

"Now, more aggressive CASO (cordon and search operations) intelligence based operations are being executed," he added.

Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha also hinted that fresh strategy is being adopted by security and intelligence agencies to restore peace in the twin border districts.

Interestingly, the recent Human Rights Report released by the Forum of Human Rights for Jammu and Kashmir also highlighted this aspect.

"After decades of peace, the bordering areas of Poonch and Rajouri districts in Jammu division are re-emerging as a locus for militancy with cross-border support from Pakistan-held territories of the former state," the report states.

The report was compiled by a group of 18 which includes former Home Secretary GK Pillai, former foreign secretary Nirupama Rao, and Radha Kumar, former interlocutor for Jammu and Kashmir.

The report also highlights that the 2022 delimitation of fresh legislative constituencies, adding Poonch and Rajouri of Jammu region to Kashmir's Anantnag, may have added to the alienation that these Muslim-majority areas face with the sharpening of communal divides in Jammu.

"Increasing weaponisation through Jammu's village defence guards, a problematic policy that the Forum highlighted in its 2022 report, has added further insecurity in the region. As has the 2023 Jammu and Kashmir Scheduled Tribes (Amendment) Bill, which has pitted Paharis against Gujjars and other listed scheduled tribes of the region," adds the report.