HT Interview: No local recruits, Pak pushing foreign terrorists into J&K, says DGP Swain
J&K top cop RR Swain’s prime responsibility is to create a stable security environment for the upcoming assembly elections in the Union Territory in the backdrop of Jammu emerging as a theatre of terrorism
Designated as J&K director general of Police till September 30, Rashmi Ranjan Swain has his task cut out: creating a stable security environment for the upcoming assembly elections in the Union Territory in the backdrop of Jammu emerging as a theatre of terrorism. In an interaction with Hindustan Times Executive Editor in Srinagar, 1991-batch officer, with a rich experience in intelligence and operational roles, dwelt on Pakistan’s new terror tactics, security forces’ counter-strategy, and the challenge of holding on to the gains in Kashmir. Edited excerpts:
What is the current security scenario in J&K in the run-up to the likely assembly polls by October?
Broadly, there are two ways to describe the security matrix. The first is the activity level of society free from fear, such as record level of tourism, normal functioning of educational institutions and business and high turnout in the Lok Sabha polls. The second index, conventional but linked to the first, is the number of terrorist initiated actions, fatalities of civilians and security personnel and rate of infiltration. On both counts, Kashmir is surely witnessing a much improved security situation. Jammu, however, is a cause of concern because of an incremental uptick in terror incidents in the last one-and-a-half years.
How about the level of local recruitment to terror outfits?
I reckon that as a paramount index of security situation. The Valley has seen an 80% drop in locals joining militant ranks since 2022. This year, so far, only four Kashmir natives have taken up the gun. Prior to 2019, the number used to be 120 plus annually. Now, 15-odd Kashmiri youth are active as militants. In Jammu region, local recruitments are practically nil. Only four natives of Kishtwar are part of militant groups. This is a very promising and hope-raising feature. For the first time in the history of militancy in J & K, number of foreign militants is much more than the locals.
How many foreign militants are operating in J&K?
Roughly, there are 50 to 60 of them in the Valley and an equal number in Jammu region. They are well-trained for jungle warfare, well-equipped and battle-hardened combatants. They are a special breed, not the usual madrassa-minted recruits. Lashkar-e-Toiba and Jaish-e-Muhammad continue to be the main tanzeems but now there is a great amount of coordination between them.
Are they all from Pakistan?
Apparently yes. But we have also come across foreign fighters conversing in Pushto. Like two terrorists who were killed outside Jammu a day before Prime Minister’s public event last year. We don’t know whether they from the Pushto-speaking areas on Pakistan side of the Durrand Line or from Afghanistan side. A new trend is that they are openly flaunting their identity. Those killed were found carrying Pakistan’s National Identity Card – equivalent of Aadhaar. Before 2022, their identities were off the radar. A terrorist who was killed while trying to attack an Indian army post on Line of Control recently was quickly owned on social media by his Pakistan-based group.
When and why did the shift to foreign militants outnumbering the locals come about?
It happened between late 2021 and early 2022. Post- August 2019 ( abrogation of Article 2019), when a very different security strategy was adopted, the militant grid was hit hard. In next two years, violence level rapidly declined in Kashmir, many local militants surrendered and recruitments saw a major dip. Such drop had happened in 2013, too. But, then the eco-system that sustained local terrorism was intact. Since 2019, this eco-system has been dismantled, making the re-growth of home-grown militancy much harder. That made the Pakistani handlers change tack by pushing foreign fighters and shifting the focus to Jammu.
What is the trend on infiltration?
We have 20 to 25 foreign militants in the tri-junction hills of Doda, Udhampur and Doda whose ingress happened in May during the Lok Sabha polls. Whether they have come through LoC or international border is anybody’s guess. But the bottomline is that adversary has managed to find gaps in our anti-intrusion systems.
Why there is a surge in terror strikes in Jammu where the arc of militancy has spread to even to areas that were peaceful in last three decades?
Kashmir has long been an epicentre of Pakistan-sponsored terrorism because the separatist politics provided it the bedrock. That changed after 2019 under intense pressure of our security grid. For the last one-and-a-half years, Pakistan has been trying to deflect the pressure by targeting Jammu through the instrument of foreign terrorists. About 50-60 of them are operating from thickly-forested heights with no road access and mobile connectivity. As some of the heights were long vacated by security forces due to normalcy, terrorists took advantage of that. Also, an insidious objective is to flare up communal tension because of region’s mixed demography.
But Jammu has not seen a major breakthrough against terror groups, suggesting gaps in security agencies’ intelligence network?
Local intelligence is definitely flowing. In 2022, one of our major breakthrough came when villagers overpowered a key terror operator Talib Hussain and handed him over to police. Terrorists are now avoiding inhabitations. In high-terrain wilderness with no road and mobile network, operational environment is a different ballgame. There is a time gap between conversion of intelligence into kinetic action against 20-30 foreign terrorists who are trained in jungle tactics and equipped with GPS to navigate themselves. Our strategy is to reduce that gap.
How has counter-terror response shaped up since Prime Minister’s high-level meeting last month?
It’s a two-pronged action: making the border impregnable to the extent possible and neutralising the terrorists who have come in. Also, our focus is to ensure that they are not in position to develop an ecosystem by a cocktail of fear and inducement. Terrorists are flush with money. Two Pakistani ultras killed in Kathua in June were carrying R 1.25 lakh each. The international border deployment has been reconfigured with induction of two additional BSF battalions. Tunnel-prone areas are on our radar. Also, we have put extra 900 personnel in border police stations.
How challenging is the task of holding the upcoming assembly elections in J&K?
A random terror strike or suicidal mission is always a difficult thing to prevent anywhere. But election-specific drills are fairly well-designed as evident from a peaceful Lok Sabha polls. We are up against a proxy war involving guns, state actors and foreign fighters. We may be losing a match or two, but will surely win the tournament.