 NEW DELHI - India said on Wednesday militants were waiting in a large number of camps in Pakistani Kashmir to sneak across a ceasefire line into Indian Kashmir. âRecent reports indicate a large number of launching camps along the Line of Control (LoC) have been activated where militants have been kept in readiness for infiltration,â Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee told the upper house of parliament.
| Fred, the surprise meter is getting very warm to the touch. Overuse? |
Mukherjeeâs statement came despite assurances from Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf last week in response to Indian concerns about militant camps, when he said the âsituation is on the brink mendâ.
| Guess Perv will need to serve up some more pablum ... |
Last month, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said the âinfrastructure of terrorâ in Pakistani Kashmir remained intact, despite a 20-month-old peace process between the subcontinental rivals. Mukherjeeâs comments were a sign of Indiaâs growing concern about violence in Kashmir.
Indian figures show that in the first half of 2005, 463 terrorists militants were killed in Kashmir, against 495 in the same period of 2004.
| Dang, that's a lot of virgins ... 72 times 463 ... carry the 7, times the square root of 11, two toes, ... |
But the Indian army reported a spike in militant infiltration last month, when it said it killed dozens of terrorists militants trying to cross the ceasefire line.
Analysts say the violence, which has included high-profile bomb attacks and raids in Srinagar, summer capital of Indian Kashmir, has contradicted past comments by Indian officials that militants were on the back foot and infiltration down.
| Dang, a smart analyst ... |
âWhatever may be the official spin...the militants have dramatically registered their formidable presence in the state,â columnist Harish Khare wrote in The Hindu newspaper. âIf the last few weeks are any indication, the security forces are barely able to contain the militants.â |