Srinagar: About 135 militants are present at launch pads across the border and are waiting to infiltrate into India, BSF Inspector General, Kashmir, Raja Babu Singh said on Monday.
However, he asserted that the overall situation at the Line of Control (LoC) is “peaceful” and said the number of infiltration bids was lesser in 2021 in comparison to previous years.
“The overall scenario along the LoC is peaceful. Since the signing of the ceasefire agreement, there has been a general peace all along the LoC in the Kashmir frontier,” the Border Security Force (BSF) officer said while speaking to reporters here.
Giving details on infiltration bids, he said in 2021, 58 attempts were made, in which five terrorists were killed, 21 returned and one surrendered.
“There have been reports that 31 infiltrated in 2021, 130 in 2019, and 36 in 2020,” the inspector general (IG) said.
During 2021, the BSF successfully recovered or seized three AK-47 rifles, six nine-mm pistols, 1,071 ammunitions, 20 hand grenades, two IEDs and 17.3 kg of heroin — worth Rs 88 crore — in different operational incidents, he said.
The IG BSF said there are reports that “104 to 135 terrorists” are present at different launch pads across the LoC and waiting to infiltrate.
“There are also reports that some guides have gone from here and crossed the LoC to that side. So, we need to monitor them as and when they return. Their families need to be monitored,” he said.
Singh said there is a lot of synergy between the army and the BSF.
“The more we conduct area dominations, keep watch and surveillance, the more difficult it will be for them to infiltrate. We are putting in all-out efforts so that no infiltration is allowed, that zero infiltration happens,” he said.
“As and when anyone is spotted crossing the LoC, he is challenged and if firing is used, he is killed like the recent killing of a terrorist on January 2,” the IG BSF added.
Asked about the Taliban threat, he said, “there is nothing like that till now, but we are keeping an eye on the developments”.
“Nothing concrete has come into notice so far, but we are keeping an eye on it. We are keeping a strict vigil,” he said while responding to another question about the apprehensions of weapons from Afghanistan making their way into Kashmir.
On the issue of drones, the IG BSF, said the drone threat is “very real”.
“Last year also, drones were noticed, but no one ventured inside our territory. This year, we are taking enough measures, anti-drone techniques, we are also getting a few drones, and we will tackle it very effectively,” he said.
He said the other challenge before the security forces on the LoC is narcotics.
“There have been attempts to push narcotics from the other side. We have seized it. We have a zero-tolerance policy against narcotics,” Singh said.
