Militants...

Director general of J&K police SP Vaid said they had been receiving fresh inputs of Pakistan attempting to “foment trouble in north Kashmir”.

“Most of the militants operating in north are Pakistani nationals and we had been getting inputs all year that they are trying to gain a stronger foothold in the region. The government has ordered suspension of all counter-insurgency operation in view of the holy month of Ramzan but we are keeping a strong watch over the situation in the valley including the northern areas,” Vaid said. Other security officials said the militant network in Kashmir is likely to put the north on the radar in a bid to not give an impression that only the southern region of the valley is affected by insurgency.

Former Union home secretary GK Pillai attributed the onset of the summer season for an increase in militant activity in the north as the region is host to majority of infiltration routes. Pillai, however, added that security forces have checks and balances in place to deal with any increase in militant activity “in south or in north”. The last two years in Kashmir were among the bloodiest in its history as the government launched an intense crackdown on the local militancy, most notably dismantling the unit led by Burhan Wani. According to government estimates, over 660 people — militants, civilians and security personnel — died during this period, an annual spike of more than 167% when compared to 2015.

THE ARMY ON THURSDAY SAID IT HAD FOILED A MAJOR INFILTRATION BID IN KERAN SECTOR OF NORTH KASHMIR’S KUPWARA DISTRICT AND LOCAL POLICE SOURCES SAID AT LEAST 15 MILITANTS WERE ATTEMPTING TO CROSS OVER BEFORE BEING REPELLED BY SECURITY FORCES