Infiltration on the rise despite fencing
As many as 50 militants have entered Rajouri and Poonch districts recently
Shariq Majeed
Tribune News Service

Rajouri, September 28
With fencing along the Line of Control (LoC) in the twin frontier districts of Rajouri and Poonch almost complete, one may have expected a dip in infiltration from across the border.

However, if sources were to be believed there has been a marked increase in infiltration attempts and a majority of them have been successful. As many as 50 militants have reportedly entered Rajouri and Poonch districts in the recent past.

Between July and September, infiltration bids by militants were between 12-15, which is higher than last year’s figures for the same months.

“A majority of these infiltration attempts have been through the hilly areas, as the maize crop as well as the grass is fully grow during this time of the year, which provides perfect hiding conditions. As many as 50 intruders have sneaked in through Mendhar, Krishna Ghatti and the Sawjian sector of Poonch district,” a source claimed.

“We acknowledge that infiltrators try to take advantage of the hilly terrain, but most of the times their attempts are foiled,” said a senior Army officer serving in a forward area along the LoC in the Mendhar sector. “They are acclimatised to the hills and know the terrain better than us. It is not easy to maintain guard along the whole length of the LoC,” he added.

“As long as training camps are running in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK), such infiltration bids will continue,” said another source.