The challenge at the Line of Control (LoC) is far from over. The tussle has begun with evidently one of the largest infiltration of militants into this side of the LoC in recent years. The exact number of intruders is not known. The militants are evidently well equipped. It will always be a subject of conjecture whether or not their audacious attempt to cross over the LoC has been facilitated by the Pakistan security forces. The neighboring country denies its involvement in such endeavors.

The fact also remains that the militants have once again managed to find a way through our fence. They have snapped the barbed wires to force their entry. It seems, however, that they have not been able to escape scrutiny by ultra-modern cameras and other sophisticated equipment installed at the LoC. Surely, they will not enjoy their sojourn for long in our picturesque land. Sooner rather than later they will be taken care of by our security forces. That does not solve our problems, however. Their extinction does not end the possibility of more of their ilk turning up to soil our environment.

How do we put a stop to their wicked excursions? There is a link between the Kashmiri militants and Taliban and AI Qaeda is not without basis. The possibilities of some Kashmiri militants being part of Taliban and AI Qaeda cannot be ruled out considering that the outfits were based on certain amount of fundamentalist and jihadist tendencies. If there are foreign militants operating in Kashmir there is always this possibility of some Kashmiri militants operating with Taliban and AI Qaeda in Afghanistan or anywhere else.

When the militants go into a radicalized or fundamentalist mode, they worry about national boundaries or nationalists at all. They will go and wage so-called jihad anywhere alongside Taliban in Afghanistan or in Jammu and Kashmir. If insurgency has to be sustained then they must incite some trouble and make incidents happen. One takes heart from his assurance that the Army is geared up to meet any threat as it has also proved in the ongoing encounter. At the same time it is necessary that Pakistan puts its best put forward. It will do well to heed to New Delhi’s proposal for waging a joint battle against terrorists of all hues. The eventual success of the joint anti-terror mechanism between the two countries is to be determined in terms of practical results it obtains. Indeed, Islamabad has very well played its part in by and large ensuring peace along the LoC and the International Border. Doubts nevertheless rankle in our minds as to how the militants hoodwink the Pakistani security forces on their way to our State. Before pointing an accusing finger in the direction of Pakistan, however, we can’t overlook that the armed trespassers throw dust into the eyes of our security forces as well. It is possible, therefore, that the new infiltrators are non-state global actors. They are threatening Pakistan on the one hand and the rest of the world on the other. It is high time that we read the writing on the wall and learnt from the history of Afghanistan to conclusively nip the evil in the bud.