Srinagar, May 26: A day after Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said some 40 militants have crossed over into the state from across the LoC this year, the army Thursday reiterated that no infiltration took place since January 2011.
“Our stand on the issue of infiltration is clear. Two days back our Corps Commander, Lt General Syed Atta Hasnain, has made a statement on infiltration. We stand by our Commander’s comments on the issue,” army spokesman, Lt Col JS Brar told Greater Kashmir. “I can’t comment further”.
Pertinently, Lt Gen Hasnain, during his visit to the forward posts in Tanghdar sector on May 24 while rebutting the reports of infiltration had said that there was no incident of infiltration and “neither there was any gunfight on Line of Control this ear so far.”
“These reports are concocted and baseless. This kind of baseless stuff appears in media in May and June every year,” the GOC had told reporters.
GOC’s comments came in response to a news report circulated by a Delhi-based wire service wherein it was claimed that nearly 35 to 40 militants have entered Kashmir valley from across the LoC. The report published on May 23 stated; “Notwithstanding repeated denials by the Army, security agencies in Jammu and Kashmir have reported that nearly 35 to 40 militants have entered the Kashmir Valley but were holed up in higher reaches only due to extra layer of security by police and para-military forces.”
The news report while quoting official sources had said that HUMINT (human intelligence) and TECHINT (technical intelligence) suggests small groups of six to seven militants mainly belonging to Pakistan-based Lashker-e-Taiba entered the Valley through Kupwara and Gurez sectors and have entrenched themselves in Lolab and Rajwar forests in extreme north Kashmir.
Even as the senior army commander in Srinagar negated the report, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah threw its weight behind the report and confirmed on May 25 that some 40 militants had crossed over from across the LoC into the state recently.
“As of now it (the figure of infiltrating militants) is provisional. But, there are indications that anything between 30-40 militants have crossed over (to JK),” Abdullah told reporters at a function in Jammu the other day.
 “This information is independently provided both by state and central intelligence agencies,” the Chief Minister said. “There is credible information to suggest that there have been successful attempts of infiltration last month”, he said.
If the reports of infiltration proven to be true, then it will come as a major embarrassment for the army who are claiming that their advanced counter-infiltration grids have stopped the continuous attempts of infiltration by militants along LoC.
“This has been the first time in past 20 years that no infiltration attempt was made between March and May,” a top army official had told Greater Kashmir recently. “There were reports of militants sneaking in. But it has not been confirmed”.
Meanwhile, another top army official based in the Valley Thursday said the army being on the ground have not noticed any movement from across the LoC.
“We have also our intelligence gathering mechanism along LoC. We have not received a single input,” the army official, wishing anonymity, said. He made it clear that the reports about infiltration are a “mere hoax spread by some vested interests.”

Lastupdate on : Thu, 26 May 2011 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Thu, 26 May 2011 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Fri, 27 May 2011 00:00:00 IST