The spurt in terror attacks in Jammu & Kashmir is a grim reminder of Pakistan-sponsored nefarious elements spreading their tentacles in the region and exposes the hollowness of the government’s claims on restoration of normalcy. In the latest encounter in Rajouri district, five Army personnel, including two officers, were killed. There is an increase in the number of terror strikes in J&K in the last two years. It is taking some toil on the security forces. A majority of them occur in the Rajouri-Poonch-Reasi belt, situated to the south of the Pir Panjal mountain range that separates Jammu from the Kashmir valley. It is a matter of big concern that terrorists have managed to strike at will in the area, with the Army losing 14 of its personnel so far this year. This includes two back-to-back ambushes on 20 April and 5 May that claimed the lives of 10 soldiers.
The Rajouri-Poonch belt accounted for 46 deaths, including those of civilians, since January this year. It means that the terrorist threat goes much beyond the Kashmir valley, posing a new security challenge. The Rajouri-Poonch axis is contiguous with South Kashmir, a major hub for militancy, and the line of control (LoC) with Pakistan. With an effective counter-terrorist security grid in place in Kashmir, terrorist outfits, notably Lashkar and Jaish, which have foreigners in their ranks, seem to have shifted to the Jammu side of the vast and sparsely populated forested terrain, with limited road connectivity. Going by the recurring instances of the LoC ceasefire violations, it is clear that Pakistani handlers are making concerted efforts to make the communally sensitive Jammu region a new ground for their proxies. The government of India should be aware of the situation and take measures.