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Giving a new dimension to the ongoing militancy in Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan army has started training young girls in the training camps of Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) for pushing them into the State shortly.
Atleast 100 girls were being trained in two training camps of Bagh and Kas by Pakistan army officials, a senior Army officer today told EXCELSIOR on telephone from Poonch, while quoting 'very specific inputs' received from Intelligence agencies.
Pakistan army and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) want to achieve twin objectives by inducting the girls into militancy. Firstly, the girls will be used as couriers in shifting weaponry from one place to another besides planting explosive devices and secondly, they will be used as an instrument to defame security forces by levelling the allegations of sexual harassment.
According to army officer, who didn't want to be named, the girls, undergoing training in handling of explosive devices and small arms in the PoK camps, mostly hailed from Afghanistan and PoK.
The under-trainee girls also included illegal migrants from Bangladesh, whose poor economic conditions are being exploited by Pakistan army. Some of the girls might have been forcibly recruited into the militancy by resorting to coercion.
According to Defence sources, two batches of the girls were being trained specially in clandestine operations of carrying weapons, explosive devices and currency from one hideout to the other. Pak army was laying stress on these women militants to plant explosive devices to target army and civil vehicles in a bid to cause maximum casualties.
Due to mounting pressure of army and other security agencies, the militants were finding it difficult to shift their consignments. Since the girls are generally not frisked by security forces, they could be more useful for the militants in acting as couriers.
Moreover, the sources said, the women could raise a hue and cry and level false allegations of molestation against security forces if they were frisked. "Allegations like an attempt to outrage modesty could lower the morale of security forces, a goal which Pakistan army was hoping to achieve with the help of women militants", they added.
Sources said Pakistan army was under tremendous pressure from some militant outfits, especially the groups dominated by foreign mercenaries, to provide them the comforts of life. And, since the local girls were in no mood to oblige the militants, Pakistan had to induct the women from their side to keep the mercenaries in good mood so that they keep fighting in J&K and don't return prematurely.
Sources disclosed that two to three women, after their infiltration into this side of the border, will stay with a group of militants-be it the villages, dhoks, hideouts or the forests. Possibility of some of the women joining the armed struggle and facing security forces in encounters was also not ruled out completely as some of them were getting training in handling of sophisticated weapons.
Initially, some local women were identified by army and police as 'couriers of militants' in Poonch, Rajouri and Doda districts. While some of them were arrested, others were left with a warning to them as well as their parents that they will be treated as militants if they don't stop their anti-national activities.
Only last month, Poonch Police had arrested a 26 year old girl, who was working as an active militant of Hizbul Mujahideen. She was involved in a grenade attack on Bhairon temple in Poonch. Police had recovered eight live grenades from her possession.
According to Defence sources, a number of people approached army officials in the twin border districts of Poonch and Rajouri during last about one year alleging sexual harassment with their young daughters by the militants. However, they were hesitant to lodge a formal complaint with police keeping in view the future of the girls.
"Many such young girls have gone
into mental depression after delivering illegitimate children. They have
to face the brunt of society. The fear of being labelled as scum of the
society always haunts them, even though it is none of their fault. The
years these girls should have spent with happiness, joy and full of life,
are being spent in isolation away from the preying eyes of the society",
a Defence official said.
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