Author: Zorawar Singh Jamwal
Publication: The Hindustan Times
Date: August 3, 2006
URL: http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_1759610,000500020000.htm
In what could be a problem for Indian security
agencies, militants have set up a parallel communication network in the border
districts of Poonch and Rajouri. To hoodwink the security forces, which regularly
monitor communication on wireless sets and Indian cellular services, the terrorists
use Pakistani cell-phone networks to talk to top guns across the Line of Control
(LoC). Aiding this are mobile-phone towers shifted near the LoC.
A source in the security forces told the Hindustan
Times that there was "enough evidence of parallel communication network
of Pakistan in the twin districts".
An army source confirmed: "The vital
information collected by the Military Intelligence indicates that mobile-phone
towers of Pakistan's Mobilink network have been shifted near the LoC in Pakistan-occupied
Kashmir (PoK). The height of the towers has also been increased."
They now cover 15-20 km of Poonch and Rajouri
and "directly facilitate the terrorists operating in the border districts".
When terrorists were caught in recent operations,
Pakistani SIM Cards and mobile phones were recovered from them, a pointer
to the new network in place. About 15 SIM cards of Mobilink and an equal number
of mobile phones were found on the persons of terrorists killed in Rajouri
and Poonch.
"This seems to be a new modus operandi
initiated from across the border to unleash a fresh reign of terror on this
side of LoC," a senior army officer said on conditions of anonymity,
"because security forces intercept the conversation of terrorists on
wireless sets and monitor communication networks of BSNL and Airtel."
He said conversations over Pakistani mobile
network could not be traced and since the phone bills would be cleared in
PoK, the terrorists did not have to run the risk of purchasing Indian prepaid
cards after short intervals. "This new strategy has become a headache
for security forces," he said.
