The Indian Army on Saturday said that the launch pads across the Line of Control (LoC) in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir are fully occupied and an estimated 250 to 300 terrorists are presently active there waiting to infiltrate into India.

This has been a reiteration of top Indian Army officials who had cautioned in the last three months about at least 300 terrorists waiting across the LoC to sneak into Kashmir valley.

GoC 19 Infantry Division Kashmir Major General Virendra Vats, addressing a press conference in Baramulla, North Kashmir, said that Pakistan is trying to step up infiltration and push in more terrorists into J&K after failing to instigate the people of Kashmir following last year’s August 5 decision of revoking Article 370.

“Pakistan has been failing in its attempt to instigate the people of Kashmir ever since we had the momentous decision of August last year, they have been trying very hard, they also know the season is coming to an end very soon, three or four months is what they have, so they shall try their best to push in the terrorists,” he said.

His remarks came after two terrorists were killed after a major infiltration bid was foiled by the Army in North Kashmir’s Naugam sector today morning.

The Army said that troops laid an ambush after suspicious movement was detected along the Line of Control (LoC).

In the encounter that followed, two infiltrators were gunned down.

Speaking on the encounter, General Vats said troops along LoC in Nougam sector detected suspicious movement originating from Pakistani post in the area following which, an apt response was taken to eliminate two terrorists who were trying to infiltrate by cutting anti-infiltration fence.

Arms and ammunition including two AK-47 rifles with 12 filled magazines, a pistol, magazines and some grenades were recovered. The security personnel also recovered about 1.5 lakhs in Indian and Pakistani currency.

This year, so far, there have been several successful anti-terror operations by the security forces that has led to the killing of many terrorists and their commanders.

On July 1, a CRPF Head Constable and a civilian were killed after terrorists attacked a patrol party in North Kashmir’s Sopore. However, a three-year-old child, who was with the civilian, was rescued by the police.

Late June, three terrorists including one Hizbul Mujahideen commander, Masood Ahmed Bhat, were killed in an encounter at Khulchohar in South Kashmir’s Anantnag district.

With Masood’s death, J-K police chief Dilbagh Singh said that the entire Doda district in Jammu region has become totally free of militancy once again.

According to the police, Masood, who was the last surviving terrorist of Doda, was involved in a rape case filed by Doda police and was on the run ever since. He later joined Hizbul Mujahideen and shifted his area of operation to Kashmir.

In June, Jammu and Kashmir police had said that 29 foreign terrorists are active in South Kashmir but assured that the security forces are experienced enough to deal with them and wipe out militancy from whole of South Kashmir.

Earlier in May, Jammu and Kashmir’s director general of police (DGP) Dilbag Singh had said that over 300 terrorists are present in launch pads across the LoC in PoK.

He said that there was a high degree of vigilance by the security grid to foil Pakistan’s design of pushing terrorists into Jammu and Kashmir.

“We have a fairly big number of terrorists who are waiting across that side to be pushed into Jammu and Kashmir. There are already around four incidents of infiltration in Kashmir valley and two to three such attempts have been made in Rajouri-Poonch area,” he told PTI in an interview at the police headquarters.

Expressing concern over it, DGP said that Pakistan’s ISI, Army and other agencies are very active and trained terrorists are ready in launch pads.

The police chief further said that four groups of terrorists have been able to infiltrate into Jammu and Kashmir.