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Infiltration has not stopped: Indian army

Josy Joseph in New Delhi

Indian army sources on Friday said that there are no clear indications of infiltration across the Line of Control ending, as claimed by Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf and assured by the international community.

Senior Indian army officers said they are yet to get hold of any credible intelligence showing that Musharraf has 'even ordered' his army to crack down on infiltration.

"It is too early to say. I have to look for level of violence, see if supplies have come down, has hawala money come down, has firing come down... in fact firing has not come down. Whether the firing is in support of infiltration or just retaliation to Indian firing?" a senior army official said.

He said it would take over a month to assess in concrete terms if the situation on the ground has changed.

British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw has assured Indian leaders that Musharraf was genuine in his assurance about cracking down on terrorism across border, but he should be given time.

"As and when we get information we will inform the government," the army official said.

He said the situation across LOC was 'war-like' due to various measures initiated by Pakistan.

"There is a high density of troops in Pakistan occupied Kashmir," the officer said.

It is believed that over four full divisions of the Pakistan Army are in PoK, with other additional security units.

The officer said that Pakistan has deployed the holding formations for looking after strategic defence.

All Pakistan soldiers have been recalled from their leave and reservists called up.

Pakistan has also evacuated several villages along the Kashmir border of India and Pakistan.

The army headquarters said after January 12, when Musharraf promised end to terrorism, there was a noticeable change in infiltration till February second week.

"March onwards again infiltration picked up and violence inside Jammu and Kashmir also picked up," the senior Army officer said.

He said the drop was probably due to the unprecedented snow cover during winter and the high level of troop deployment post-December 13 attack.

The official termed Musharraf's crackdown on militants then as 'cosmetic'.

He said in the recent months, Pakistan has shifted most of its terrorist camps from the hinterlands to Pakistan occupied Kashmir.

"All necessary measures have been taken to ensure that maximum infiltration is stopped, but considering the kind of terrain it is not physically possible to end it completely," he said.

The army believes that Musharraf's January 12 speech and the continuing international pressure on Pakistan are also a fall out of the mobilisation.

"What happens next is a political decision. Our forces are ready, we don't require much time to act if an order is given," he added.

He said the latest intelligence inputs show that terrorists, several of them who were earlier in Afghanistan, are presently training with Pakistan army for 'sabotage and subversion', ready to be launched into the Indian hinterland.

"We find hints of it, we are prepared for it," the officer said.

He also confirmed reports that three divisions have been moved from the Afghan border to the Indian border.

Terrorism Strikes in Jammu: The complete coverage

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