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Clinton visit may prove dear for J&K

Josy Joseph in New Delhi

Indian intelligence agencies and security officials are exercised over the possible fallout of US President Bill Clinton's India visit on Kashmir.

The peaking militancy will further intensify, while the Line of Control, where shelling has already been intensified by the Pakistan side, will witness offensive manoeuvres from across the border, they say.

"The visit would not be good for Kashmir," a highly placed official in the home ministry told rediff.com. He said the intelligence inputs from across the border and within the country show that "Pakistan will step up militancy in the wake of the president's visit."

The security agencies, including the army, have been asked to be in a high state of alert, he said. He said that the security agencies have been cautiously stepping up their offensive postures as a precautionary measure. Raids have been stepped up in Kashmir, he said.

The aggressive operations by the India Army, paramilitary forces and state police have been bringing in some noticeable results.

On Tuesday, Hamid Gadda alias Bambar Khan, a key Hizbul Mujahiddin leader was shot dead by the state police in Sheikhpora village in Ganderbal. He had masterminded the recent massacre of Pandits in Wundhama.

The forces also shot down five others on Tuesday and "that is practically the average (of militants killed) these days", a home ministry official said.

Following the intensification of combing and piercing operations on the militant hideouts, army sources said, "The militants are on the defensive".

Till this week, "what we were expecting -- a large number of high-profile attacks on our establishments -- has not happened", army sources said. A senior army official said it was basically because "the Indian Army was able to browbeat them".

Even along the Line of Control, the mercury has been shooting up in the recent days.

Indications from across the LoC and recent intelligence inputs "show that Pakistan is preparing for a largescale infiltration". The Pakistan army has already increased its presence along the LoC.

The Army Headquarters was recently alerted about the Pakistan army's purchase of winter clothing and sophisticated equipment from Europe. They bought 25 snowmobiles, 451 winter jackets and 971 pairs of snow-shoes from Belgium.

Army sources assess that the purchases are enough to "equip an entire battalion" in a high-altitude area.

There is no definite information about any particular plans. But Kargil-like intrusions, "even at a minor scale", could happen, they warn.

"We expect the pressure to be stepped up by the Pakistanis in the run-up to the Clinton visit," a senior army officer said. Already the situation along the "LoC is quite tense", he said.

Shelling has gone up in recent times and there have been some crossborder raids by the Pakistan army. An army captain was killed early this week in one such raid.

The army official pointed out that the recent attack on an advance signal post along the LoC was part of a new strategy. Shelling along the LoC "will go up and till the time Clinton leaves, the level of action along the LoC would be quite high".

An additional brigade of the Pakistan army has been stationed at Uri and Muzaffarabad opposite Tangdhar on the Indian side of the LoC.

More than the LoC, the Indian Army and other security agencies are worried about the situation in the valley and south Kashmir.

Owing to this, the security agencies have stepped up their combing operations in almost every district, including the Jammu region.

"We will further intensify the operations in the coming days," a senior army official said. "The forces are also trying to attain a higher level of coordination in these operations."

In Anantnag district, at least five Pakistan-backed militants were killed in those operations in the last one week.

Gearing up to meet the ''bloody summer'', Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah has been talking about a limited war with Pakistan.

Though the opposition has criticised him, his ruling National Conference has all along been supporting him and has stepped up attempts to whip up war hysteria across the state, reports from Srinagar show.

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