Fearing more Balakots, Pakistan shuts down terror camps in PoK
Fearing retaliation from India and under pressure from the international community, Pakistan has shut down terror camps on its soil, in the past few months. The move comes after India intensified pressure on Pakistan through dossiers shared on global platforms, giving evidence of terror camps backed by the Pakistan Army in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
According to details provided by India, there were 11 terror camps operating in Pok — five camps each in Muzaffarabad and Kotli clusters, and one in Barnala. Some of the camps which were being run by the Lashkar-e-Taiba have been shut down in the Kotli and Nikial area in the region opposite Sunderbani and Rajouri, respectively.
Terror camps run by the Jaish-e-Mohammed have also been shut down in the Pala and Bagh area, while another camp run by Hizbul Mujahideen has been shut down in the Kotli area.
According to intelligence reports, camps close to Muzaffarabad and Mirpur have also been shut.
The camps that have been temporarily shut now belong to Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed and Hizbul Mujahideen.
Following the Balakot air strike by the Indian Air Force, Indian forces continued to exert pressure on terror groups in PoK close to the LoC.
The terror launchpads close to the LoC which were used by terrorists to infiltrate are also inactive. In fact, after the Balakot air strike, there has been no infiltration attempt from PoK.
Based on intelligence and technical surveillance, agencies have learnt that instructions have been given to either retreat or completely stop terror facilities for the time being. Sources said that this trend has been noticed in the past two months.
Meanwhile, Pakistan has also urged India to de-escalate border tension between security forces of the two countries.
As per the review by the Army in the aftermath of Pulwama attack and airstrikes by the Indian Air Force, it was assessed that Islamabad would put in efforts to ensure that skirmishes are controlled.
Source:- India Today
