Over 100 pc rise in cross-border infiltration,says MHA report

The first seven months of this year have seen a more than hundred per cent rise in cross-border infiltration by terror groups

The first seven months of this year have seen a more than hundred per cent rise in cross-border infiltration by terror groups.

According to the Ministry of Home Affairs,till July there have been 67 incidents where militants have managed to sneak in from across the border. During the same period in 2011,26 such cases were reported. Figures show that 139 Pakistani militants made attempts to cross the Line of Control (LoC) as compared to 93 last year. The infiltration from across the border is at an all time high and is likely to go up in the coming days, said an MHA official.

The MHA in its report collected from the Central intelligence agencies said that 14 youths from the Valley joined militancy in this period. Out of these,five joined the Hizbul Mujahideen and nine the Lashkar-e-Toiba. These include the recent arrest of Ahtesham Malik by the Delhi Police in March. Malik,who was trained at Pakistan occupied Kashmir,was tasked to carry out blasts in Delhi. The MHA cited these figures while advancing its arguments regarding the Armed Forces Special Powers Act in Jammu and Kashmir. J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has demanded removal of AFSPA from selected areas.

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MHA officials said that the figures were compiled on the assessment made by Multi Agency Centre (MAC). Reports indicate that there were 252 attempts made in 2011 out which 53 terrorists managed to enter into India till December.

In 2009,there were 487 infiltration attempts by terrorists,out of which 113 were successful in entering India. In 2010,475 terrorists tried to enter the country and 98 managed to sneak in.

In a reply to a Rajya Sabha question,MoS (Home) Jitender Singh said,The government in tandem with the state government has adopted a multi-pronged approach to contain cross-border infiltration in J&K,which includes inter-alia strengthening of border management and multi-tiered,multi-modal deployment along the international line of control. The counter infiltration efforts are reviewed periodically at various levels in the state and Central governments.

Militant killed in Uri encounter

SRINAGAR: An unidentified militant was killed in a gun battle between terrorists and the Army near the Line of Control at Uri. On Saturday evening,the Armys 18 Dogra regiment cordoned off the Bijhama village in Uri after a tip off about the presence of militants. As the soldiers zeroed in on the target,the militants holed up in a village opened fire resulting in an encounter that continued till Sunday. In the retaliatory fire of the Army on Sunday,a militant was killed. The police are yet to identify the slain militant. The Army is combing the area and looking for other militants.