Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Thursday that cross-border movement of terrorists rebels from Pakistan-administered Kashmir to the Indian zone of the Himalayan region dropped by 60 percent last year. "We are moving forward (on the peace process with Pakistan)," Singh told India's parliament. "The infiltration level has come down by more than 60 percent in 2004."
According to Indian intelligence sources in Kashmir, between 500 and 600 terrorists rebels crossed from Pakistan-administered Kashmir into the Indian zone in 2004, compared with between 1,200 and 1,300 in 2003. The sources attributed the drop to fencing by the Indian army of the 760-kilometre (472-mile) Line of Control, the de facto border dividing India and Pakistan in Kashmir, as well as to the deployment of Israeli-made sensors which pick up movements of rebels in the dark.
| Fence + sensors really do work, how 'bout that. |
So far this year there have been only 10 to 15 infiltrations by terrorists guerrillas, the sources said. The number traditionally falls in winter, and this year has seen the worst snowfalls in two decades in parts of Kashmir. |