Srinagar, Oct 3: The outgoing General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the Srinagar-based 15 Corps, Lieutenant General Rajiv Ghai on Thursday announced that there are currently around 80 active terrorists in Kashmir, marking the lowest figure in many years.
He attributed the presence of militants to external forces-namely Pakistan-who keep the number at a critical threshold to maintain the ecosystem of terrorism in the region.
“The official number, as put out by the multi-agency centre, stands at approximately 80. This is the lowest it has been in several years,” Lt Gen Ghai said during a press conference at the headquarters of the Army’s 15 Corps in Srinagar.
He said that when he took command last year, they were dealing with numbers surpassing the 100-mark.
“Now that figure has come down. Now obviously, that figure is sustained by the perpetrators at a certain number, which is considered critical to sustain the terrorism ecosystem . It has been the endeavour of the security forces to actively and aggressively bring these numbers down. And I think we have succeeded. Now the official figure is at 80,” the Corps Commander said.
He expressed optimism that the security forces’ efforts would continue to drive the numbers down.
“With the way things are progressing, I’m confident that we will see even fewer active terrorists. By mid-next year, we might be looking at a significantly reduced figure,” Lt Gen Ghai said.
He emphasized the importance of maintaining the current security posture to preserve stability in the region.
When asked about the possibility of reducing the Army’s presence in Kashmir given the improved situation, he was cautious in his response.
“In my opinion, there should be no dilution of the security grid at this stage. We’ve had a (few good years)-2024, 2023, and even 2022-but for lasting peace, this process must continue for several more years.
Whether it’s the counter-infiltration grid along the Line of Control or the counter-terrorism grid within the Valley, they need to be maintained. We are in a consolidation phase, and therefore, in my view, no dilution of the grid is either recommended and I definitely am not a proponent of that at this stage,” the Corps Commander said.
Lt Gen Rajiv Ghai further said the Army would soon be “able to crack” encrypted handsets used by terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir.
Talking to reporters here, Lt Gen Ghai acknowledged that the ‘Ultra’ communication was giving secrecy to terror groups but he assured that the work is in progress.
“Ultra communication has various layers of encryption and while presently, it is affording them the secrecy that they want. But I assure you that work is happening in that regard and soon we will be able to crack that encryption and I am hoping that will further dent the terrorist ecosystem network,” Lt Gen Ghai said in his last press conference as commander of valley-based XV Corps.
He will soon take over as Director General of Military Operations.
To a question about weaponization of mobile phones used in Israel-Lebanon conflict, he said, “Every time a new method is employed by any military force across the world, we always take note of it to draw our own lessons, so we can incorporate what is relevant to us and prepare our army and armed forces accordingly.”
