No let up in infiltration attempts in JK in 2010

SRINAGAR: As many as 470 infiltration bids were made by militants based in Pakistan during the year, which is marginally lesser than the 485 reported in the previous year in Jammu and Kashmir.

Around 125 militants were eliminated during the year near the Line of Control (LoC) while trying to sneak into three districts of Baramulla, Bandipora and Kupwara in north Kashmir, highly-placed defence sources told PTI.

There was no let up in attempts by Pakistan to push in as many ultras as possible to fuel violence in the border state this year, they said.

Dozens of militants were eliminated in attempts to infiltrate along the LoC on Poonch and Rajouri districts and other areas along the International Border in Jammu region, they said.

Infiltration, which was at its peak in the early and mid-1990s, had come down post-2003 when a composite dialogue between India and Pakistan was started and Centre had also initiated talks with separatists leaders in Kashmir.

However, Pakistani handlers started pushing in militants in large numbers again following breakdown in the talks between the two countries in the wake of 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks in 2008, the sources said.

In the year 2003, 1373 infiltration bids were recorded. The next year saw a sharp decline of over 60 per cent when only 537 bids were recorded.

There was no change in infiltration numbers over the next three years but a further decline was witnessed in 2008 when 342 bids took place - the lowest since militancy erupted in the state in early 1990.