Mohammad Jamil
Militants attacked an Indian Army’s battalion at Uri, Baramulla in Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday killing 17 Indian soldiers. Reportedly, four militants were also killed in the encounter. After martyrdom of Burhan Muzaffar Wani in July 2016, there were demonstrations in the Valley and other parts of Kashmir. Indian military and police resorted to firing and use of pellet guns killing about 90 people including children and injuring hundreds of them. The recent protests and slogans raised for azadi have never been so loud in the past. This seems to be a turning point in the history of Kashmiris struggle waged by the Kashmiri youth, who are determined to take it to the logical conclusion. As usual, India is accusing Pakistan and militant organizations of infiltrating from Line of Control to stir violence in IOK, vainly trying to prove that Pakistan is involved.
Indian media has carried reports that 150 to 200 militants are trying to infiltrate in Kashmir, and a few of them have already crossed over But this is in contradiction to Indian claims and earlier reports including Times of India, which citied a senior Indian Border Security Force (BSF) official having said that India has set up eight laser walls along the shared border with Pakistan and plans to activate four more over the next few days. A laser wall is a mechanism to detect objects passing the line of sight between the laser source and the detector. A laser beam over a river sets off a loud siren in case of a breach. The laser walls will cover stretches of difficult terrain and riverine areas, and even a bird flying over the sky or on the land could be detected immediately.
India plans to cover more than 40 vulnerable unfenced stretches along the Pakistan border with laser walls, with the home ministry giving it a top priority to prevent any infiltration. India has further stepped up efforts to secure the border in wake of an attack on the Pathankot airbase, which India alleged was stormed by terrorists who crossed over from Pakistan. The terrorists were believed to have entered India 5km downstream of Bamiyal near the Tash border outpost – a riverine point not covered by a laser wall. India has been bragging about the 3-tier security fence’s efficacy. “It is impossible for infiltrating militants to cross over the three-tiered border fencing along LoC. There is desperation in militant leadership and Pakistani establishment due to failure to cross-over the fencing”, said Brig A. Sengupta who commands the front brigade deployed to guard the LoC in forward sectors.
Indian Army feels the border fencing along the Indo-Pak border has virtually turned into a death trap for ultras, as 28 infiltrating militants were killed when troops foiled bids this year. Passing through dense woods, narrow valleys and riverine areas along the LoC and international border, the fence, it says, has proved to a major deterrent against cross-border infiltration as it acts as a “round-the-clock” guard. In view of these claims, there is no justification for India to raise finger of accusation towards Pakistan. In order to divert attention of the dire situation in IOK, India is raising the bogey of infiltrators from Pakistan, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is consistently propagating Balochistan issue. However, US State Department spokesman John Kirby in a recent news briefing in Washington stated: “The US government respects the unity and territorial integrity of Pakistan, and we do not support independence for Balochistan.”
