Hitherto Pak intrusions had remained confined to pushing infiltrators into the Indian Territory. The current armed thrust conceived and sanctioned at the highest level in Pakistan, with full backing of Nawaz Sharif is aimed at Changing the alignment at LoC and cutting off the economic and military lifeline to the frontier district of Ladakh. Other objectives are to push new specially trained and battle-hardened infiltrators into Kashmir and create conditions for international intervention. The initial international reaction is a definite setback to Pakistani moves. There is unmistakable evidence that Pakistan’s new designs point to the escalation of the proxy war. Upgraded proxy war

The new features of the up-gradation of the proxy war are pushing more experienced mercenaries/Pak regulars, inducting highly sophisticated weaponry, making highways vulnerable and carrying demographic ethnic-cleansing of minorities in J&K to the logical end. Speaking about the alarming trends, Gen. VP Malik, the Army Chief said, ‘It is our assessment that Pakistan will continue to push belligerence, abet infiltration and indulge in proxy war at a higher level. The recent Lahore declaration has not in any way changed the ground situation in Kashmir. If anything, Pakistan army and ISI is still active in aiding and abetting terrorism in the state’.

All recent reports point to a greater effort and, planning to push terrorists on a large scale along LoC as well as Jammu side of international border. The infiltration of men and weaponry this year has been much more than in the preceding years. General Aziz Pakistan Chief of Gen. Staff who developed, nurtured and implemented the Talibans ?war fighting doctrine in Afghanistan?, has been made responsible for Pak military operations in Kashmir. Western press reports say that more than three thousand specially trained men belonging to Pan Islamist outfits have been brought closer to LoC in Drass-Kargil and Gurez sectors. It is reported that during the past four months, thousands of mercenaries mostly Islamist diehards Arab and Afghan mercenaries had been moved from Afghanistan into 40 training camps set up by ISI in Gilgat and Baltistan. Intelligence reports say that these crack mercenaries are being paid $1800-2000 each. Out of the three thousand mercenaries, one thousand was engaged for the Kargil thrust. This group was, as per reports, provided with medium machine guns and snowmobile scooters.
 

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