SOURCE: UNI
Stating the security situation has shown significant improvement in Kashmir, the outgoing General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the Srinagar-based sensitive 15 Corps, Lieutenant General Rajiv Ghai on Thursday said there are currently around 80 active terrorists in Kashmir, marking the lowest figure in many years. He attributed the presence of militants to external forces—Pakistan—who keep the number at a critical threshold to maintain the ecosystem of terrorism in the region.
“The official number, as put out by the multi-agency centre, stands at approximately 80. This is the lowest it has been in several years,” the outgoing GoC Lt Gen Ghai said during a press conference at the headquarters of the Army’s 15 Corps in Srinagar. Lt General Ghai will be succeeded by Lt General Prashant Shrivastava on October 15.
The Corps Commander said that when he took command last year, they were dealing with numbers surpassing the 100-mark. “Now that figure has come down. Now obviously, that figure is sustained by the perpetrators at a certain number, which is considered critical to sustain the terrorism ecosystem . It has been the endeavour of the security forces to actively and aggressively bring these numbers down. And I think we have succeeded. Now the official figure is at 80,” the Corps Commander said. He expressed optimism that the security forces’ efforts would continue to drive the numbers down.
“With the way things are progressing, I’m confident that we will see even fewer active terrorists. By mid-next year, we might be looking at a significantly reduced figure,” he said. He added that there could be from 25 to 40 Pakistan terrorists active in Kashmir. The Corps Commander said the security situation in Kashmir has shown significant improvement over the past few years, and emphasized the importance of maintaining the current security posture to preserve stability in the region. When asked about the possibility of reducing the Army’s presence in Kashmir given the improved situation, he said he was not proponent of that dilution of security grid at this stage.
“In my opinion, there should be no dilution of the security grid at this stage. We’ve had a (few good years)—2024, 2023, and even 2022—but for lasting peace, this process must continue for several more years. Whether it’s the counter-infiltration grid along the Line of Control or the counter-terrorism grid within the Valley, they need to be maintained. We are in a consolidation phase, and therefore, in my view, no dilution of the grid is either recommended and I definitely am not a proponent of that at this stage,” he said. He said significant efforts have been made by the 15 Corps, the J&K police, and other security agencies to improve the situation.
“There has been no active terror recruitment in the region,” he said. Lt Gen Ghai said that there has been a decline in the infiltration from across the Line of Control in Kashmir. “There were people on launch pads across the LoC, but there were not many attempts of infiltration made this summer. Infiltration happens from areas other than LoC like we saw in Jammu. This is why numbers have increased a little in that region,” he said. The Corps Commander said the ceasefire understanding along the LoC has sustained and is still very much in force.
On the use of encrypted telecom equipment, ‘Ultra Set,’ by militants, Lt Gen Ghai said the they will shortly be able to crack that encryption. “It (Ultra Set) has various layers of encryption. And while presently, it is forcing them the secrecy that they want, but I assure you that, work is happening in that regard. And soon, we will be able to crack that encryption. And I am hoping that that will further hit the terrorist ecosystem,” the Corps Commander said.
On the Middle East conflict, the Army officer said that they were keeping a close watch and ensure that none of them have any adverse impact on the security situation in our region. “As far as the conflicts that are ongoing across the world, these events had some negligible impact here. We have seen some protests even within the valley. But right now, we’ve not had any indication that any of those could precipitate into a very concerning situation. But please remember that those conflicts are becoming more and more intense as the days go by. We will have to keep a close watch and monitor and make sure that none of them have any adverse impact on the security situation in our region,” he said.