Senior army officers have visited forward areas along the Line of Control in Kashmir to review the preparedness of the counter-insurgency grid amid
fears that Pakistan might take advantage of the prolonged dry spell to push in infiltrators.

A thick blanket of snow normally covers the mountainous passes connecting the Valley with PoK (Pakistan-occupied Kashmir), acting as a natural barrier against infiltration during the initial winter months.

But winter so far has gone snowless in Kashmir this year, although the Srinagar meteorological centre has forecast the possibility of a wet spell from January 25 to February 1 — breaking nearly two months of dry spell.

The army on Wednesday said senior officers, led by Valley army chief Rajiv Ghai, visited the forward areas in the Gurez sector of Bandipora district on January 23 to review the counter-infiltration grid and operational preparedness.

The visit has come three days ahead of Republic Day. Security has been beefed up across Jammu and Kashmir to ensure incident-free celebrations. The security forces are also not taking any chances in letting Pakistan resort to any early infiltration attempts on the borders.

The army officers’ visit came on the same day director-general of police R.R. Swain said the security situation was under control in Jammu and Kashmir, but infiltration remained a challenge.

Officials said Lt Gen. Ghai exhorted soldiers to remain “in a high state of operational readiness” despite the bone-chilling night temperatures.

“Naturally, there are concerns that there could be early infiltration attempts this year due to the near absence of snow. Security has been beefed up across the LoC,” a police officer in Kupwara said.

Adding to the woes of security forces this year have been multiple forest fires in the border areas of Jammu’s Rajouri and Poonch districts — attributed again to the dry spell — prompting an increased vigil to prevent sabotage by the other side.

The army last week said a major fire broke out in the Dera ki Gali area of Poonch. The local army unit helped forest officials douse the flames.

Several landmines also blew up in another forest fire in the Mendhar and Balakote areas of Poonch.

“Despite the overall stability, the persistent challenge is posed by a handful of terrorists infiltrating from Pakistan, attempting to disrupt the hard-earned peace in the region,” Swain said.

“Our youths are not involved with them. While a few individuals may support these terrorists, the majority stand against them, indicating that the situation is under control.”

Swain said a person “sitting outside” who was not from “Jammu and Kashmir” was infiltrating or digging up tunnels to fight the security forces. “It is a challenge. Though their numbers are now less, this is a challenge,” he said.