Drop In Locals Joining Militancy But Infiltration From Pakistan Continues Unabated

The number of Kashmiri youth joining terrorist ranks has dropped significantly after the repeal of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status and bifurcation of the state into union territories but there was not much change in the pattern of infiltration attempts through the Line of Control (LoC), according to the official data. Only 28 youths joined the ranks of terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir between August 5, 2019, and January 26, 2020, says an internal document prepared by the security agencies. This represents a 60 per cent drop compared to the number of youths joining the militancy in Kashmir between January 1, 2019, and August 4, 2019, which saw 105 youths join the terrorist ranks, mostly in south Kashmir districts of Pulwama, Anantnag, Kulgam and Shopian.