Jammu: Though infiltration attempts increased and Pakistan violated ceasefire agreement on certain occasions, overall militancy rate declined in Jammu and Kashmir as curtains come down on 2011.
In the middle of the year, there was some respite from major insurgency operations in the hilly terrains across the state but the infiltration attempts continued from across the LoC amid ceasefire violations.
The year saw Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah repeatedly raking up the issue of partial revocation of Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) with Union Home Ministry from some of the ‘peaceful’ locations of the state.
Pakistan violated the mutually brokered ceasefire 39 times compared to 24 in the previous year.
Security forces, however, held their heads high in operations against militancy across Jammu region this year.
“In 2011 so far, 21 militants were eliminated, four were apprehended and two ensured surrender across the region,” official sources said.
They said that the security forces had neutralized 80 militants in 2009 and 74 militants in 2010.
As per the figures, though militancy related incidents came down across the region this year guard cannot be lowered along the Line of Control and the International Border with increased infiltration attempts and Pakistan’s scant regard to the mutually brokered ceasefire.
In the past five years Pakistan had violated the truce agreement 11 times in 2006, 24 times in 2007, 37 times in 2008, 13 times in 2009, 24 times in 2010 and 39 times so far in the current year.
“Our concerted operations inflicted heavy losses upon various militant outfits like Lashkar-e-Toiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed, Harkat-ul-Jehadi Islami (HuJI) and Hizbul Mujahideen across the region this year,’’ an official added.
