Terror infrastructure in Pak 'existing and active': army chief

New Delhi, Feb 7 (PTI) Terror infrastructure in Pakistan
is "existing and active", according to India's Army Chief Gen
Deepak Kapoor, who puts the number of terror camps there in
between 30 and 50.

Pakistan seeks to convey an impression that it is taking
action against terrorists and their infrastructure but the
infrastructure was still active, Kapoor told PTI.

The number of camps "on the other side" can "safely" be
placed between 30 and 50, he said, adding that there had been
a significant increase in such camps from 32 in 2005 to 53
last year.

Kapoor, who has served as chief of the Northern Command
which include Jammu and Kashmir, said by and large most of
these camps are located parallel along the Line of Control
(LoC) and between 10 and 50 km away from the LoC. The numbers
of these camps have been varying at times.

"I would rather put it that the infrastructure is active.
Yes I would put it that way. I would not talk about the
numbers specifically right now now because of the fact that
some of these are closed. But infrastructure is existing and
active."

Kapoor said there were some other camps which were not
located along the LoC but possibly in certain other areas
either in Punjab or even westwards of that.

"So that is from where you find that some of these people
who may have either gone from this side, who have may have
exfiltrated or those who are in the name of jihad asked to
come as volunteers and join these gangs, trained there and
thereafter an attempt is made to induct them," he said.

At times, Kapoor said, that policy has been varying. "At
times it is actively supported by the establishment, it
happens with their total connivance. When they claim it is not
not actively supported, it may happen with covert connivance."

He said sometimes they would look at crossing the LoC in
the worst kind of weather and most difficult terrain where the
chances of being able to infiltrate through may be better.

Or at times the forces which are on their side can use
the tactic of starting some kind of a firing in which people
from the Indian forces get involved in retaliatory fire and
possibly in that period of time and diversion when the
patrolling level goes down they have the methodology to push
through, he said.

The army chief expressed concern over the new routes
being taken by the infiltrators to come to Jammu and Kashmir,
may be through Nepal and Bangladesh.

Asked whether the terror camps have been closed after the
Mumbai attacks, Kapoor said "it is too difficult to say. It is
too short a time-frame. This kind of information takes time to
build up."

He said post the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai the
camps that are in Pir Panjal areas in the valley were dormant
because the passes were closed because of snow.

"Infiltration is just not not feasible. Therefore, those
camps lie dormant. They may still be there. But we cannot
still get any definitive information till we start catching
people who come from those camps. South of Pir Panjal the
camps have been active.

"You are aware of the case of Mendhar where the army
could not catch hold of anyone. But they have been used. So
invariably you find by November-end and till February-March
you will find that south of Pir Panjal is much more active."

Kapoor said the routes they may use may be Rajouri and
Poonch and go into Doda side or the valley. "But what is of
greater concern to me exactly is that more than this portion,
in an entire year much larger numbers seem to be coming in
from other routes in Jammu and Kashmir."

Asked whether it was through Nepal, he said the forces
had caught as many as 52 people who have come from the
Himalayan country and some of the illegal migrants were
Bangladeshis.

"So while we are able to check this number, it is almost
ready to be as much and that is a matter of concern. Because
we have a free and open border there is movement and we have
caught people who have come by the Nepal route and Kathmandu
and thereafter they can travel like any other normal person
without being checked," Kapoor said.

"Because the border is open they come through and come to
Gorakhpur or some place and catch a train and travel to
Jammu," he said.

On checking infiltration, Kapoor said last year was a
tremendous success story. In 2006, the figure was something
like 343 which was a count that was arrived at after
discussions with all the agencies like military Intelligence,
CID and state police.

In 2007, the figure got down to 311 and last year it was
somewhere in the region of 70.

"And that is the kind of check of infiltration. I am
talking of the success on the infiltration front. After all,
the ground is difficult. The terrain is such that you cannot
guard each and every metre or yard of that.

"So there may be people who have been trying to come
through. The number of counter-infiltration measures has
resulted in the number coming down from 311 in 2007 to 60 or
70 in 2008," the army chief said.