The spillover of high tech modern weapons and advanced night vision devices left over by Americans in Afghanistan after the fall of Kabul in August 2021 is now finding its way towards Indian Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir via Pakistan through the Line of Control (LoC), said Major General Ajay Chandpuria, General Officer Commanding (GOC) 19 Infantry Division stationed in Baramulla of North Kashmir in an exclusive conversation with this journalist.
19 Infantry Division under the 15th Chinar Corps oversees the counter-terror grid and security preparedness along some crucial areas of Line of Control with Pakistan in North Kashmir.
“Afghanistan situation has a profound impact for the security situation for our country and specially in Jammu & Kashmir. It’s no secret that the various terrorist groups which were fighting the Americans in Afghanistan are now idle”, says Major General Chandpuria.
“Coupled with that there are thousands of pieces of modern weaponry, night-vision devices and other modern equipment which was just left behind by the Americans. Lot of it as per the reports is getting proliferated towards Pakistan and some of it has gravitated closer to the Line of Control (LoC)”, he further says.
After the fall of Kabul, as per reports, several terrorists lodged in Afghan prisons were released by the Taliban and the Haqqani Network and sent to freedom in Pakistan.
Many of those veteran fighters from Jaish-e-Muhammad, Lashkar-e-Tayyiba and other terror groups have reached various camps and launch pads in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK).
Over the last year a ceasefire has been achieved between India and Pakistan, restricting the “cover” fire usually given by Pakistani troops to make terrorist infiltration into India possible through the Line of Control.
“As per our inputs, we are at the peak of winters with a lot of snow which really restricts infiltration attempts here and since last one year since the ceasefire understanding we have more than 6 such infiltration attempts being made which were neutralised”, says Major General Ajay Chandpuria.
“At any point of time we have around 100 to 130 terrorists believed to be at launch pads opposite our area. In the infiltration attempts that have been neutralised, we have had recoveries of modern American assault rifles, modern generation thermal imaging night vision devices and such like equipment”, he says.
While 2021 has mostly remained peaceful at the LoC, there are apprehensions after fresh recoveries and multiple agency reports that have indicated a rise in activities in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir suggesting a possible infiltration plan for the summer of 2022.
“I think that apprehension of the fighters who operated in Afghanistan from these terrorist groups along with the modern weapons and the equipment would certainly be present at the Line of Control and endeavour to infiltrate in the coming summers”, Major General Ajay Chandpuria confirms.
The eerie calm after the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5th 2019 in Jammu & Kashmir had resulted in a downward terror graph in the valley.
Latest inputs about the Afghan war veteran fighters with modern American equipment reaching the Line of Control to infiltrate into India however is a serious development in the wake of Pakistan’s attempts to internationalise Kashmir yet again after several recent debacles.
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