All identified, properties to be attached
Working to facilitate intrusion bids, radicalization
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Jan 4: Police and Intelligence agencies have identified 310 persons in the border district of Poonch who have been operating from Pakistan and PoJK with a view to create trouble including fanning terror activities like facilitating infiltration attempts from the Line of Control (LoC), narcotics smuggling, radicalization of youth and other illegal activities.
Highly places sources told the Excelsior that following a comprehensive exercise conducted by police and Intelligence agencies, around 310 persons have been identified in Poonch district, majority of whom hailed from Mendhar, Surankote and Sabjian who have crossed over to Pakistan and PoJK using Line of Control (LoC) over past three decades and are now operating from the enemy’s soil to create disturbances not only in Poonch but also in the neighbouring Rajouri district.
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“Identification of the persons who have crossed over to Pakistan and PoJK was carried out after detailed survey undertaken by the agencies. All these persons were identified and lists prepared but their names have been kept secret so far,” the sources said, adding police have obtained entire evidence of these elements having exfiltrated to Pakistan and has started process to attach their properties.
A startling revelation surfaced during investigations which showed that a total of 2500 persons from Poonch district have illegally crossed over to PoJK followed by Pakistan during past three decades. However, role of around 310 has surfaced in the illegal activities.
While those who have crossed over to PoJK and Pakistan hailed from different parts of the district, majority of them belonged to Mendhar, Surankote and Sabjian areas. Mendhar and Sabjian are located close to the Line of Control (LoC) with PoJK.
Asserting that figure of 310 is “quite high”, sources said they crossed over to PoJK and some of them subsequently reached Pakistan over last three decades and most of them have been involved in undesirable activities which include fanning terror and narcotics smuggling in Jammu and Kashmir and attempts to radicalize youth with a view to lure them into terrorism.
Some of these persons are active terrorists in Pakistan and PoJK affiliated with Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists and are not only engaged in facilitating infiltration attempts, trying to send arms and narcotics through drones and other means but are also contacting youths to radicalize them, the sources said.
However, with directions from the top, police has started acting tough on the terror elements.
“In the first process, majority of those who have exfiltrated to Pakistan and PoJK were identified. In the second stages, assets on their names were verified. And following due legal procedure, their properties are being attached,” the police officials said.
They said properties of nearly two dozen such persons has already been attached by police while assets of 20-25 persons will be seized by January 26 following due procedure of law. And, in due course of time, properties of all those identified for their involvement in illegal activities will be attached, they added.
It has been found by security agencies that some of the persons operating from Pakistan and PoJK have repeatedly contacted the local youth in Rajouri and Poonch districts through different modes of Social Media communications with a view to radicalize them and lure them into militancy.
However, majority of such attempts have failed, the officials said.
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