Pakistan army has reportedly equipped the terrorists who infiltrated into Jammu and Kashmir last year with Alpine Quest App in its offline version to help them operate even without the support of Over Ground Workers (OGWs) in upper reaches of different districts across the Union Territory. “Support of the OGWs to the terrorists has been dwindling in view of series of measures taken by the police including attachment of their property and registration of cases against them under Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). To overcome this challenge, the Pakistan Army has equipped the terrorists with Alpine Quest App in its offline version,” officials told the Excelsior.They said the use of App by the terrorists has been noticed for first time in Jammu and Kashmir. The App is originally an Australian navigation tool for trekkers and has been modified to include data on security forces, nakas etc.With police coming down heavily on the OGWs, the terrorists have been left with little local support. In some cases, it has also been observed that the terrorists used OGWs only for food as they have managed shelter in naturally formed caves in the mountains. While trekking to change locations, the terrorists have been avoiding OGWs as they fear that some of them may leak information to security agencies leading to their elimination.“It has also been observed that the terrorists asked OGWs to drop food and other essential items at a particular spot and leave. They picked up the goods only after the OGWs leave the spot. This was done to ensure that the OGWs don’t manage to get their exact location,” the officials said, adding this is being done by the terrorists to avoid identification of their hideouts even if the OGWs are caught by the cops.The terrorists have also been found using highly encrypted ultra radio communication devices with servers in Pakistan. This technology enables secure communication between operatives.The encryption makes it difficult for security forces to intercept or decode their communications in real time.
Last year, movement of the terrorists was observed in upper reaches of Kathua, Udhampur, Kishtwar, Doda, Reasi, Poonch and Rajouri districts in the Jammu region besides different parts of the Kashmir valley. They carried out attacks on security forces, Village Defence Guards (VDGs) and Shiv Khori pilgrims. A number of terrorists were also killed in anti-terror operations conducted by security forces.Most of the terrorists operating in the higher reaches are Pakistanis. Few days back, Kishtwar police released posters of four Pakistani terrorists operating in the district and kept a reward of Rs 5 lakh on each of them.Police and security forces have also strengthened their positions in the upper reaches by setting up pickets and conducting regular patrols.
