The government feels giving free hand to forces is paying dividends and the situation would improve significantly by winters.
The government feels that its hardline policy in Kashmir against talking to the separatists and giving free hands to the security forces is paying dividends and the situation would improve significantly by the coming winters.
Senior government sources said the strategy of blocking infiltration and going all out against terrorists in Kashmir has also started paying dividends as a large number of terrorists have been killed and there is fear in terrorist ranks trying to cross the LoC.
Soon after the Modi government came to power, the security apparatus under NSA Ajit Doval had decided against giving any importance to the separatists of the Hurriyat conference in the Valley.
“There was widespread criticism of our policy as people wanted to engage them in talks but due to the strict actions taken against the Hurriyat leadership, they stand exposed and are fast losing credibility among the youth in the Valley,” the sources said.
Over the years, the underground activities of the Hurriyat leaders and their financial support to Pakistan-backed terrorist infrastructure was being overlooked by the successive governments but we did not fall in their trap, the sources said.
The government has cracked down heavily on the hawala arsnd other illegitimate sources of finance of the Hurriyat leade, including Syed Ahmed Shah Gilani and Shabbir Shah, who are in the custody.
Sources said the security forces have been able to check infiltration in a major way as intelligence inputs suggest that there has been as good as zero infiltration from the 16 Corps area which includes the LoC and international border with Pakistan in Jammu.
Even in 15 Corps area, due to the increased number of troops, infiltration has been cut down drastically as a large number of terrorists were killed while attempting to do so.
Army sources said due to the fear of getting killed, the terrorists trying to infiltrate have even gone back into Pakistan as in Macchil sector, the troops recovered their rucksacks.
The hunting down of terrorists has also increased in a big way as the security forces are now looking at the figure of 200 kills by the end of this year as they have eliminated the majority of terrorist leadership.
The security forces are pegging the number of terrorist in the Valley to be around 150 currently even as they have eliminated around 120 of them in the last seven months after General Bipin Rawat took over as the army chief. Sources said a major role in the success against terrorist is being played by J&K Police as they have increased the tempo of operations.
