Centre Links Decline in Infiltration in Jammu Kashmir to Upgraded Intelligence Grid | Kashmir Life

SRINAGAR: The Union Government has said that the last two years have seen significant improvements in Jammu and Kashmir’s counter-terror ecosystem, driven by a wider national push to modernise intelligence systems, upgrade digital surveillance, and strengthen inter-agency operations.

In a reply in the Lok Sabha, the Ministry of Home Affairs said that Jammu and Kashmir has particularly benefited from these nationwide upgrades, with measurable outcomes in reduced infiltration attempts, increased drone interceptions along the Line of Control, and the dismantling of several local and cross-border terror modules.

According to the Government, intelligence sharing in Jammu and Kashmir has become more effective after the Multi-Agency Centre network was expanded and modernised across India, including down to the district level in the Union Territory. The MAC–SMAC architecture now uses artificial intelligence and machine-learning tools for real-time analysis, enabling quicker detection of terror financing networks, recruitment channels and links to cross-border handlers. With national agencies such as the Intelligence Bureau, NATGRID and the National Investigation Agency linked through the same system, the flow of technical intelligence to field units in Jammu and Kashmir has improved sharply.

The Home Ministry said India’s broader strategy to counter emerging threats has also had a direct impact on Jammu and Kashmir. National agencies have been tracking risks from encrypted communication channels, cryptocurrency-based funding and unmanned aerial platforms used for arms and narcotics drops. The NIA’s newly created National Terror Database Fusion and Analysis Centre and the ongoing development of the Organized Crime Network Database on NATGRID have strengthened the analytical backbone used to investigate cases in the Union Territory. The NIA’s updated handbook on UAPA investigations, circulated in 2024, has helped Jammu and Kashmir standardise case procedures and improve prosecution outcomes.

A major area of concern highlighted by the Government is online radicalisation, which has seen sustained monitoring at the national level. The Ministry said that the NIA and State Police forces, including those in Jammu and Kashmir, have together pursued several cases involving extremist propaganda and recruitment on encrypted platforms, leading to arrests, charge-sheets and convictions. Large numbers of radical URLs have been blocked under the Information Technology Act, while cyber-patrolling and digital surveillance have been stepped up across vulnerable regions, including Kashmir.

On the border front, the national strengthening of the Comprehensive Integrated Border Management System has directly reinforced security along sensitive stretches of Jammu and Kashmir. The deployment of high-resolution drones, thermal imagers, night-vision devices, sensors, radar systems and upgraded fencing has tightened the surveillance grid. The Centre said this has contributed to a sustained decline in infiltration attempts, alongside higher drone recoveries and large seizures of arms, ammunition and narcotics.

The Ministry also noted that the National Security Guard has widened its national mandate to support multi-city, multi-target operations and has trained personnel from several States and Union Territories, including Jammu and Kashmir. Regular joint counter-terror drills, hostage-rescue simulations and metro-intervention exercises held across the country have included J&K units, improving their preparedness for high-risk scenarios.

The Government said that, taken together, these national and territorial efforts have strengthened India’s counter-terrorism posture, with Jammu and Kashmir emerging as one of the regions showing measurable gains in neutralised networks, disrupted recruitment pipelines and improved border security over the past two years.