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Journalism of Courage
JAMMU, DEC 7: Finding it difficult to move down to the middle heights from the snow-bound higher reaches of Pir Panjal in the border districts of Rajouri and Poonch, for the first time during the last eight years of insurgency, pro-Pakistan militants have started shifting to the adjoining Udhampur district for shelter during the winter season.
This follows a change in strategy by the security forces and State police, who have decided to shed their earlier defensive tactics and be on the offensive, highly placed official sources told The Indian Express. As part of the modified strategy, the forces are closely guarding Surankote, Thanamandi and Kalakot areas in the middle heights of Rajouri and Poonch districts.
“We have sealed these areas by setting up pickets and intensifying vigil in the villages since September last,” a senior police official informed, adding that the middle heights of Pir Panjal were the only areas in both the border districts where one could escape snowfall during the winter. Earlier, this was the chosen winter shelter for the militants moving downwards from the heights.
The change in strategy followed the interception of messages emanating from across the border directing some of the militants to stay in Rajouri and Poonch districts during the winter season. The idea was to keep militancy alive in both these districts even during the harsh winter period, so as to divert attention of the security forces from Kashmir Valley and other areas in the State.
A few militants, who had decided to relocate with the onset of winter, were trapped in forests falling between the snow-bound heights and the villages below, sources said. Now the insurgents are neither in a position to return to their earlier hideouts nor descend to the villages for shelter, in view of the deployment of security forces and police there.
Senior security forces and police officials said that most of their recent encounters with militants took place in forest areas between the higher reaches and villages up to the middle heights in both the districts. “Our presence in the villages has forced the militants to stay put in the forests,” they said. “We have, however, kept a watch on their suspected harbourers in the villages to avoid supply of ration to the militants trapped in the forests,” they added.
Besides this, the security forces and police have started combing operations in the forest areas to flush out the trapped militants as also to dig out their arms and ammunition dumps meant for use during the winter season, a senior police official said. “Various combing parties are dispatched to different areas every day for the purpose,” he added. Judging from the fate of their trapped colleagues, the other militants are averse to seeking shelter in the middle heights. But as it is suicidal for them to stay on the heights due to the heavy snowfall, they are trying to cross over to the adjoining Udhampur district and then proceed to the hilly Doda district.“We have also sealed Nangathup and Kalaban, which are the connecting points between Rajouri and Udhampur districts, to prevent militants from crossing over Udhampur,” official sources said. However, there still remains a possibility of some militants managing to sneak into the adjoining Udhampur district in view of the various mountainous passes in the area, they added.
