150 militants waiting near LoC in PoK to infiltrate: Army

BARAMULLA: About 150 militants are waiting near the Line of Control (LoC) in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) to sneak into the Valley, a top army official said today with an assertion that the attempts would be foiled.

Lt Gen J S Sandhu, Commander of Srinagar-based 15 Corps which is responsible for security of the Kashmir valley, said there would be more militants at the launching pads in PoK in the areas facing Poonch and Rajouri in Jammu province.

"According to an estimate, in our area - 15 Corps - there are about 150 militants at present. There would be some more near Poonch-Rajouri areas (in Jammu region) as well," he said.

He was speaking to the reporters at the end of a two-day youth festival 'Jashn-e-Baramulla', organized by the army in the north Kashmir town.

The army commander said the infiltration from PoK across the LoC has been low this year compared to the last year.

"Last year, the infiltration from across was high. This year, till now, we have been able to stop them (infiltrators). Snow has also helped us as more snow this year has made it difficult for them to infiltrate. We will continue to stop them so that there is no increase in the militancy," he said.

He said the army was "fully geared to stop infiltration" on the LoC.