As the start of the annual Amarnath Yatra nears there has been an increase in militant activity along the India-Pakistan border, amidst fears of increased terror strikes in Jammu and Kashmir and more ceasefire violations from the Pakistan Army along the Line of Control (LoC).
In a sign of things to come, security forces have had over half-a-dozen armed encounters and have killed 15 terrorists in armed battles, since January 2013.
The number of infiltration attempts during this period too has witnessed a spurt, compared to the last two years’ figures, sources in Indian intelligence and security agencies told Express.
Of the 350 Pakistan-trained terrorists operating in Kashmir at present, over 60 per cent are of foreign origin and belong to Pakistan-based terror outfits such as Laskhar-e-Toiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HuM).
Indian intelligence agencies’ assessment is that despite a peace offer from the newly-elected Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, militant activity in the border state will only increase this year.