Launch pads across LoC active, around 70 terrorists waiting to infiltrate: J&K DGP

Srinagar: Around 60 to 70 terrorists are ‘active’ on launch pads across the Line of Control (LoC) and its ‘degraded capability’ has not stopped Pakistan from sending men and material to Jammu and Kashmir, according to Director General of Police Rashmi Ranjan Swain.

Giving an overall assessment of the current security situation along the border areas and the challenge posed by drone droppings, Swain at the same time said Indian security personnel will make it ‘absolutely hard’ for the adversary to succeed.

“In our meetings with our security partners, we generally have come to the conclusion that it is a fact that the adversary or the enemy has not stopped from sending men and material,” Swain, who holds the dual charge of the J&K Police and the CID, told PTI in an interview.

He also mentioned the presence of foreign terrorists from the western neighbour operating in the region.

While acknowledging some success in countering these attempts, Swain said that the threat remains, and sustained efforts are required to further reduce the ‘enemy’s ability to destabilise the area’.

“I would say the enemy’s intent is very much there, the capability certainly degraded, but the ability to occasionally rock the system and unsettle you is there,” he said.

“At any given point of time, perhaps you would have about 60-70 persons in groups of five or six at different places waiting to be pushed into our side,” Swain said, asserting that together with the Army, paramilitary forces and the Jammu and Kashmir Police, ‘we are absolutely determined that we will make it absolutely hard for the adversary to succeed’.

On the issue of drone droppings, Swain said these activities pose a significant challenge as they enable the smuggling of arms, ammunition, explosives, cash and narcotics.

Although progress has been made in countering this threat, the police chief highlighted the need for continued vigilance to fully eliminate these activities.

“We have made progress… For example, in narcotics, you know one can reverse the cycle, but it would take quite a bit of effort for some more time to be able to conclusive say that we have been able to plug it for good,” he added.

Swain also underscored the importance of collective efforts in safeguarding the border region, saying the police, Army and other security forces were resolutely committed to making it increasingly difficult for the adversary to succeed in their nefarious activities.