GS Paper III

News Excerpt:

The recent shift of terrorist activities from the Kashmir Valley to the Jammu sector is making Poonch-Rajouri a terror hotspot.

About:

• The recent run of encounters in the depth areas of the Poonch-Rajouri sector has resulted in more losses for the Army than the terrorists.

• In addition, while the Kashmir zone — the traditionally more volatile area — is relatively quiet, it’s the Pir Panjal (South) in the Jammu sector which has, in recent months, witnessed more operational activity and the presence of terrorists.

• The areas of Rajouri and Poonch have seen multiple high-visibility militant attacks this year. Some of these include the killing of five Army personnel in an explosion in a forested area in Rajouri in May. The previous month, on April 20, five soldiers were killed after militants ambushed their truck in Poonch.

Reasons:

• Least resistance: Kashmir’s strong and layered counter-infiltration (CI) and counter-terrorism (CT) grid makes planning proxy operations difficult. The abrogation of Article 370 has also made Kashmir less conducive to separatist trends. Thus, Jammu seems to offer less resistance than Kashmir.

• Local Support: The Poonch-Rajouri sector has had a chequered history of local support, which enabled Pakistan to establish a strong proxy presence in the forested and rocky tracts of the Pir Panjal (South). 

• Reduction in deployment: From May 2020, onwards when the Ladakh sector was activated, some troops were lifted from the Jammu sector and redeployed there. There may have been some dilution but HQ Northern Command has always been watchful and has followed the basic principle of re-deploying and creating other reserves. 

• Change of weather: The Line of Control (LoC)is easier to infiltrate rather than the Kashmir region because the area gets covered by snow during the winters. Due to dense forest areas, it becomes easier for the terrorists to camouflage and dodge the security forces.

• Easier Route: Rajouri is a transit route to Kashmir. When terrorists are cornered by security forces, terrorists will always have the option to cross the LoC to return back to Pakistan.

What steps should be taken?

• There should be brigade-sized operations to be conducted in the lower reaches of the Pir Panjal with drone support, as the foliage cover is lowest at this time. This needs to be reinforced by a strong public outreach.

• Political and civil society leaders will need to be balanced in their utterances and the media should also not speculate.

• If there are any casualties, then the transparency of an inquiry and suitable disciplinary action is expected from the army.

• An immediate drive to address the emotions prevailing among the local communities must be undertaken by direct contact and interaction.

Conclusion:

• The Indian Army is further strengthening its preparedness on the Line of Control and the International Border from where these terrorists have been trying to infiltrate into the Indian side from across. 

• Over the last 33 years, such moments have often come and gone. The nation needs to remain reassured of the ability of the government and Army to see it through.