2 days Ago By Naseer Ganai
SRINAGAR: With terrorists shifting their focus to the Jammu region and resorting to jungle warfare following drastic decline in their numbers in the Kashmir valley due to a strong anti-terror grid, the role of J&K police —which has lost four of its personnel in the ongoing operation in the forested Sufain area in Kathua district — has become crucial due to its local intel network and understanding of the topography. Even as the Special Operations Group of J&K police took a lead in the operation in Kathua, security experts point out that this should be seen as increased synergy among police, Army and paramilitary forces rather than a change in the strategy against terrorists. The Kathua operation, which began on Sunday with a manhunt for terrorists, saw DGP Nalin Prabhat wielding an AK 47 during the combing operation in Kathua district’s Sanyal village, about 35 km from Sufain.
The infiltrators from Pakistan were seen by some village women, who alerted the police. Commenting on Prabhat leading from the front, former J&K DGP SP Vaid said: “It is a very crucial development.” However, despite having a major role, police would have to rely on increased synergy with Army and other security agencies to tackle terrorism in the Jammu region.
“We are fighting a different kind of terrorism - where someone comes here prepared to die. Remember, it is a covert war from Pakistan,” Vaid said. Why Jammu? Vaid said Pakistan upped the ante in Jammu in the past few years and increased infiltration from across the border because of the strong anti-terror grid in Kashmir valley.
Moreover, the Army’s presence in the Jammu region was reduced after it rushed ‘Uniform Force’ of its specialised counter-insurgency Rashtriya Rifles to Eastern Ladakh following multiple incursions by Chinese troops in April 2020. The first big terror strike in Jammu’s Pir Panjal region in the last four years was on Oct 11, 2021, when five Army men, including a JCO, were killed in an encounter at Chamrer forests in Surankote tehsil of Poonch district. Five days later, four more soldiers including another JCO were killed in a gun battle with a group of terrorists at Bhatta Durrian in Mendhar tehsil of Poonch.
In March and April 2022 around four blasts rocked the Koteranka tehsil in the Rajouri district. On Jan 1, 2023, seven civilians of the minority community, two of them minors, were killed in firing and an IED blast triggered by terrorists at village Dhangri in Rajouri district. On the evening of June 9 last year, the day Narendra Modi took oath as PM for the third time, a bus carrying pilgrims from a religious shrine, Shiv Khori, was attacked by terrorists in the Reasi district of Jammu, killing nine pilgrims, and injuring another 40.
Counter Infiltration Luv Puri, former UN counter-terrorism official and a Kashnir expert, said terrorists from Pakistani Punjab blend more easily into Jammu than Kashmir due to shared ethnic and linguistic ties. “This complicates counter-militancy efforts, as labelling them ‘foreign’ does not prevent their assimilation,” he added. Puri said there is a need for a region-specific approach.
He said infiltration along J&K’s 198-km-long International Border follows predictable seasonal patterns suggesting careful planning by terrorists. This requires deep reconnaissance and intelligence on troop movements. Puri said there is a critical role for the local police networks , whose institutional memory helps track and combat recurring threats.
“A well-equipped and well-trained police force is key to countering rising terrorism in this region,” he added. Stay updated with the latest India news , weather , and Air Quality Index (AQI) updates for major cities like Delhi , Mumbai , Noida , and Bangalore on Times of India ..
