'Infiltration has increased in J&K'

Infiltration in Jammu and Kashmir saw an increase during the last winter compared to the previous one, Army chief General Deepak Kapoor on Friday said.

Speaking to reporters after meeting Home Minister P. Chidambaram here, he said “Infiltration increased in Jammu and Kashmir this winter in comparison to last winter. But we are fully capable to handle the situation.”

The meeting lasted for nearly 20 minutes.

Sources in the Home Ministry said at least 60 attempts were made by Pakistan-based militants to infiltrate into Jammu and Kashmir since the beginning of this year, sparking “serious concern” in the government.

All Intelligence inputs suggest that desperate attempts were being made from across the border to make up for the “lull” in terrorism in 2009, they said.

The quantum jump in infiltration attempts between January 1 and March 20, led to 40 encounters between security forces and militants which left 38 ultras dead.

Nearly 110 terrorists had infiltrated into the border State in 2009 through 413 infiltration attempts, in which 93 terrorists were killed, they said.

A total of 395 cases of apprehension of infiltration were reported last year as compared to 342 in 2008.

There were 573 cases of apprehension of infiltration reported in 2006 and 535 in 2007 along LoC in Jammu and Kashmir.

Sources said nearly 700 terrorists, half of them foreign mercenaries, are active in Jammu and Kashmir.

Gen. Kapoor had said recently that around 2,500 terrorists in various training camps in Pakistan were waiting to enter Indian territory.

“There are an estimated 42 terrorist training camps in Pakistan as per our reports. The total number of militants staged in these camps is roughly between 2000 and 2500 and ready to infiltrate to this side,” Gen. Kapoor had said.