In Poonch attack, Pak-China’s plan to divert Indian troops from Ladakh: Sources

Pakistan and China are collaborating to revive terrorist activity in the Poonch sector of Jammu and Kashmir in a bid to pressure the Indian Army into redeploying troops from the Ladakh border back to Kashmir, according to top defence sources.

The revelation follows the killing of five soldiers in a terrorist ambush in Poonch, the latest in a recent surge in terror attacks targeting Indian forces in the Valley, particularly in the Poonch and Rajouri sectors bordering Pakistan. Sources say that this upswing in violence is part of a coordinated strategy by Islamabad and Beijing.

Sources further add that Pakistan has since infiltrated 25-30 terrorists into Poonch's forested areas, aiming to launch attacks on security forces and provoke responses.

China, frustrated by India's heightened troop presence in Ladakh following the 2020 border stand-off in Galwan, is seeking to divert Indian resources back to Kashmir, according to sources. They believe that Pakistan, with potential Chinese backing, is attempting to force India to ease pressure on the eastern front by reigniting terrorism in the west.

This suspicion stems from India's deployment of the Rashtriya Rifles, a specialised counterinsurgency force, from Poonch to Ladakh in 2020. This move was crucial in bolstering India's position against China but left Poonch with potentially fewer anti-terror resources.

Defence expert Col Manoj Kumar said the increasing frequency of terror attacks in Poonch-Rajouri and the Army’s battle to flush out terrorists from wooded areas reminded him of Operation Sarp Vinash. The operation was carried out in 2003 in the Surankote area of Poonch.

“The terrorists were using similar hideout and bases when Sarp Vinash happened. Around 15,000 troops were deployed and 65 terrorists were killed in the operation. Pakistan and China are now attempting to get forces redeployed from the Chinese border by disturbing the peace in these areas,” he told India Today TV.

The Army has already moved an additional brigade to the Poonch-Rajouri sector to counter the terror threat, sources added. Recent operations are said to have eliminated over 20 terrorists, including Pakistani nationals.

Colonel (Retd) Ajay Kothiyal said the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019 had caused a lot of resentment in Pakistan and China, and they had tried to cause problems in Kashmir, particularly the twin border districts of Poonch and Rajouri. Now, with the Supreme Court upholding the scrapping of Article 370, both Pakistan and China are “disturbed” and it was “expected” that they would turn up the dial on terror activities in J&K, he said.

“The Indian forces today are strongly deployed, strongly positioned and things are planned so issues are resolved properly,” he added.