Even as the Indian Army is maintaining a ‘State of operational readiness’ despite temporarily halting Operation Sindoor 1.0, the joint team of security forces led by the Jammu and Kashmir police have been conducting relentless anti-terror operations in the deep forests across the Jammu region to neutralise the large army of foreign terrorists hiding inside well-fortified natural caves/bunkers.
Inspector General of Police, Jammu range Bhim Sen Tuti, Tuesday told reporters on the sidelines of a wreath-laying ceremony at Police Martyrs Memorial, near Railway Station, Jammu, “For the past two years, foreign terrorists have been a major challenge (in Jammu). But we are strengthening our counter-terrorism and border protection grid. I hope that soon we will be able to deal with the foreign terrorists hiding in forest areas and neutralise them,” the Jammu police chief said.
He said around 120 counter-terrorist operations are launched in the Jammu zone every day. “This is our daily duty, whether it is a speculative operation or a precise information-based operation, it is ongoing,” he said.
According to official sources, the Multi-Agency Centre (MAC), in its recent assessment report, had also alerted the security forces about the presence of heavily armed terrorists near the launching pads close to the line of control and the international border with Pakistan. Unconfirmed reports also claimed movement of Pakistani army regulars has been spotted in the forward villages on the Pakistani side of the international border. Following these reports, security has been tightened along the Jammu-Pathankot National Highway, dotted with several army camps. Following the closure of mountain passes in the upper reaches of the Kashmir valley, the Pakistani handlers try to push small groups of infiltrators via the international border across the Jammu frontier during the winter months.
The jawans of the Border Security Force, elite commandos of the Central Reserve Police Force camping in Jammu and other elite forces have been kept on high alert to tackle any terror incident or surprise attack on a vital installation.
On Monday, Lt-Gen Pratik Sharma, GOC-in-C Northern Command, visited forward areas in Gurez, Machhal and Keran Sectors to review the operational preparedness of the formation.
On Friday, Lt-Gen PK Mishra, GOC White Knight Corps, along with senior army officers, visited forward locations in the Poonch Sector to review the security situation and operational readiness of troops deployed along the Line of Control.
In Kashmir, Inspector General of Police, Kashmir Zone, V.K. Birdi also chaired a security review meeting at the Police Control Room on Tuesday. The meeting was attended by senior officers from J&K Police, CAPFs, Army, and Intelligence agencies, including IGs, DIsG, and district SSsP of Kashmir Zone.
During the meeting, IGP Kashmir reviewed the prevailing security scenario and emphasised proactive measures to strengthen the security grid. He directed officers to intensify patrolling, enhance night checking at vulnerable points, and ensure real-time intelligence sharing for coordinated operations to prevent any potential threats.
Stressing the importance of sustained vigilance and area domination, IGP Kashmir urged officers to maintain robust inter-agency coordination and chalk out effective strategies to tackle emerging security challenges.
