Defence Minister Manohar Parikkar on Friday said the increased number of terrorist encounters show that the country’s intelligence has “increased” and counter-terrorist network is “tightening”. “More encounters means – we are neutralising more, our intelligence has increased, our counter-terrorist network is now tightening up,” he said.
He added, “If you see the ratio of security forces martyrdom... to terrorist deaths, (it) is now in the favour of the security forces at the rate of 1:4.3/4.4.” The number of terrorists’ neutralised was more than 50 now, whereas only 12 security forces personnel had lost their lives.
The minister said that efforts were on to ensure that lesser number of security personnel lost their lives while combating terrorists.
Parrikar was responding to a question if the increased number of terror encounters was because of increased vigil or more attempts of infiltration. A militant was killed in an encounter with security forces in Sopore in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district on Friday.
Pointing out that most incidents of terror infiltration and encounters take place before winter, Parikkar said either they were not noted earlier or probably they were not taken “very seriously”.
Claiming that the country used to lose almost a soldier for a terrorist, Parrikar said “now you see yesterday’s report. Four terrorists on the border trying to infiltrate were killed. In three days, two attempts have been neutralised.” Four militants and a soldier were killed as the Army on Thursday foiled an infiltration bid, the second such attempt in three days, in Tangdhar sector near the Line of Control in Kashmir.
Calling incidents of Chinese incursion on the Indian side of the border as “transgression”, he said “these things happen because of some historical problem between countries on perceived Line of Control.” He said, “Whenever they have transgressed, we have either stopped them and asked them to go back or raised the issue with them. But I can tell you the overall transgression that means violation of our line of control perception has reduced a lot compared to earlier.”