Terror camps active as ever across LoC: Army –– The pioneer -- 20.9.11

MOHIT KANDHARI
JAMMU
THE ARMY OFFICER WAS REACTING TO FRESH REPORTS AND THE RECENT STATEMENT OF THE PRIME MINISTER THAT TERROR CAMPS HAVE BEEN REACTIVATED ALONG THE LOC TO PUSH FRESH BATCHES OF INFILTRATORS
A senior officer of the Indian Army in Jammu and Kashmir said that terror camps were active as ever across the Line of Control and that the infiltration bids had risen in recent times.
Lt Gen JP Nehra, GOC of the Nagrotra-based 16 Corps headquarters on Monday, said that the terror training camps were never deactivated along the Line of Control (LoC) in J&K. He said at least 250-500 militants were still camping across 42 terror camps in PoK and waiting for the right opportunity to infiltrate.
Interacting with the media on the sidelines of a seminar, `Crises of Nation Building in Pakistan' in Jammu University, Lt Gen Nehra said, “The terror camps in PoK have always remained active and kept imparting training to recruits before sending them inside the Indian territory through the LoC.“
The Army officer was reacting to fresh reports and the recent statement of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that terror camps have been reactivated along the LoC to push fresh batches of infiltrators.
Commenting on the prevailing security situation under his area of command, Lt Gen Nehra said, “Overall the number of infiltration bids has recorded a marginal increase in the last five to six weeks.“
On the recent incidents of ceasefire violations, he said these were taking place out of a “sense of desperation“ from across the border. Alert troops guarding the frontiers have thwarted all major attempts at infiltration in the recent months. He said the jawans and the senior officers deployed along the LoC were motivated and ready to face any situation.
When asked whether militant groups, feeling the pinch of dwindling cadre, had begun recruiting youth and luring them away with the help of some propaganda material, the Army officer said the militant outfits have always preferred youngsters but there were no definite inputs to suggest that a large-scale recruitment had taken place in recent times.
On the role of HuJI in the Delhi High Court blast and the presence of its cadre in Jammu and Kashmir, the Army officer said, “It is for the investigating agencies to tell whether HuJI, Indian Mujahideen or any other outfit masterminded the blast. Let us wait for the investigation to get over.“