Chief of Army Staff rues lack of human intelligence in Rajouri-Poonch area in its fight against terrorists

The two border districts in the Jammu region witnessed at least three major terrorist strikes last years that led to the death of 20 military personnel.

New Delhi: Chief of the Army Staff General Manoj Pande on Thursday rued “lack of human intelligence” as one of the key factors crippling the force’s anti-terror operations in the Rajouri-Poonch area of Jammu and Kashmir, which saw multiple terror attacks and infiltration attempts leading to death of 20 security men in the last one year.

“Since human intelligence and support of the local community are extremely important for successful execution of counter-terrorism operations, there is a clear focus to strengthen such activities. We are synergising our efforts with other intelligence agencies and Jammu and Kashmir Police,” General Pande said, adding that actions would be needed to ensure that locals didn’t feel alienated.

Alluding to last month’s tragedy at Topa Peer village in Poonch district in which three civilians died in army custody, he said the village was adopted by the Indian Army as the forces recognised the importance of support of the local community.

The two border districts in the Jammu region witnessed at least three major terrorist strikes in 2023 that led to the death of 20 army men in comparison to seven such deaths in the valley.

"The situation and terrorist activities in Rajouri and Poonch in the last 5-6 months have been an issue of concern to us. By 2003, terrorism in this area was fully disseminated and peace was established there till 2017-18. Because peace is coming in the valley, our adversaries are encouraging proxy tanzeems (terror groups) in the area. Pakistan Army is trying to aggregate terrorism in the Rajouri Poonch area," he said in his annual press conference ahead of the Army Day.

The area witnessed simmering tension and anti-armed forces sentiment among the locals following the death of the three civilians. The victims belonged to tribal Gujjar and Bakerwal communities which have always been in forefront in anti-militancy operations and took lead in helping security forces even when militancy was at its peak.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, General Pande and other top Indian Army officials visited the village and interacted with locals to calm down the fraying nerves. The Army has instituted a court of inquiry, with General Pande promising a fair and transparent investigation.

On the situation along the northern border, he said while the situation remained “stable but sensitive”, the aim of ongoing talks with China was to restore the status quo ante as existed in the middle of 2020. “The larger issue of troop reduction will come after that,” he said when asked about disengagement and de-induction of troops.

India has created habitation for nearly 50,000 troops in eastern Ladakh near the Line of Actual Control. A proposal to provide 4G connectivity to 355 forward posts has been approved while 105 forward locations will receive electricity supply. “We are improving the last mile connectivity near the LAC,” he said.

Indian and Chinese troops are locked in an over three-year confrontation in certain friction points in eastern Ladakh even as the two sides completed disengagement from a few other areas following extensive diplomatic and military talks.

On the China-Bhutan boundary talks, the Army Chief said New Delhi was closely monitoring the developments as Bhutan and New Delhi shared the same security concerns.