Question: How are our Armed Forces dealing with terrorist attack emanating from Pakistan?
Answer: Sir, the infiltration bases and terror launch pads along the International Border (IB) in Jammu and Line of Control (LoC) in Kashmir are still intact. The weapon trained and radicalized youth are slipping into India to disrupt normalcy in the valley.
India has opted for the Comprehensive Integrated Border Management System (CIBMS) that entails deployment of smart fences, advanced surveillance gadgets and anti-infiltration alarms. The removal of barbed wires at certain areas along the LoC is being done as part of the smart fencing project for air to bottom fortification of the 2,300 km long India-Pakistan border by installing a smart fence based on sensors.
The BSF has also completed an exercise to fully "map and identify" vulnerable spots (from where infiltration can take place) all along the borders as part of a three-staged exercise carried out in 2019.
As part of Coastal Security mechanism, a surveillance system, called Coastal Surveillance Network (CSN), comprising of Chain of Static Sensors having Radars, Automatic Identification System (AIS), Day/Night Cameras and Met Sensors at 46 locations along the coastline and Islands has been established by the Indian Coast Guard (ICG). In order to achieve near gap-free surveillance of the entire coastline, 38 additional Radar Stations and eight Mobile Surveillance Systems apart from Vessel Traffic Management System (VTMS) connectivity at Gulf of Kutch and Gulf of Khambat, are being installed under CSN phase-II.
Aerial surveillance by the ICG is carried out using shore-based aircraft and helicopters. These aerial platforms sanitise large areas of sea within a short time and are usually the first to respond to any suspicious movement at sea.
Just in case a few terrorists are able to crossover to the valley, they need to find shelter to launch an attack. The Army pickets will pick them up before they reach some village. Even if a couple of terrorists reach a village, the human intelligence network of local population informs the authorities of any hidden terrorists in the village and an operation by local police and Armed Forces is carried out to neutralize them.
Preemptive strike at the base camp of terrorists by Indian Air Force or surgical strike at launch pads by the special forces is an option available with the DGMO (Director General Military operation).
Note:
Specific types of action required against terrorism are:
- Increased intelligence and surveillance activities.
- Pre-emptive or reactive military action.
- More permissive interrogation and detention policies.
- Targeted laws, criminal procedures, deportations, and enhanced police powers.
- Target hardening, such as raised boundary walls or adding traffic barriers.
- Pre-emptive humanitarian activities.