RAJOURI: Pakistan’s ISI has intensified its activity in the border districts of Poonch and Rajouri by pushing into the Indian Territory trained militants, including foreign mercenaries, to escalate violence in the Jammu region, according to Major General S.K. Duggal, General Officer Commanding of a division.

He told a visiting team of journalists to the border districts that despite ISI’s repeated efforts and several abortive attempts to infiltrate trained militants from Pakistan occupied Kashmir into the Indian side, the overall situation was well under control with the Indian troops maintaining the sanctity of the Line of Control (LoC).

The troops, braving chilly winds and inhospitable weather conditions were prepared to meet any eventuality, he said.

‘Maj Gen Duggal said that the Indian troops were fully prepared on all the commanding positions and a constant vigil was being maintained to foil attempts of the enemy from across the border. After their failure to motivate the people for insurgency in these two most sensitive border districts of Jammu region, the ISI was now making attempts to push arms and ammunition, including highly improvised explosive devices, into the area to destabilize the civil administration and create panic.

Asked about the new strategy of Pakistan on Kashmir, Maj Gen Duggal said that the ISI has launched various militants training camps where youth from Pakistan, Afghan, Sudan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Iran and other Islamic ‘countries were being imparted with subversive training and later sent to Kashmir to maintain the level of militancy.

At present, 112 training camps for the militants were going on in Pakistan, Pak-occupied Kashmir and near Afghan border, he said.

The reporters were shown some captured militants. One Khalid Hussain, ‘who was recently apprehended by the security forces along with his five other mercenaries, said he was a student and was forcibly taken for training by ISI.

Article extracted from this publication >> December 22, 1995