Unrest in Kashmir continue to pose challenge to India

Indian Interior Ministry on Thursday said that the security situation in disputed Kashmir continues to be a challenge and there has been a considerable increase in attacks by rebels against government troops. "The situation in disputed Jammu and Kashmir continues to be a challenge for us," Interior Minister Sushilkumar Shinde said during a conference of Indian police chiefs. "This year, there has been an increase in targeted attacks on Security Forces resulting in nearly 50 personnel losing their lives," he added. The minister said there have also been violent actions and ceasefire violations along the de-facto border, Line of Control (LOC), particularly in the border district of Poonch in disputed Kashmir. The clashes this year between the armies of two nuclear armed neighbors have been almost regularly reported since Aug 6 along the 720-Km long Line of Control (LoC) and international Border (IB) dividing Kashmir into Pakistan and Indian one. Recently, the exchange of fire between Indian paramilitary and Pakistan rangers led people in several villages located on the International border in the Jammu region of disputed Kashmir to flee their homes for safer places. India says there have been nearly 150 ceasefire violations by Pakistani troops along the Indo-Pak border in Jammu and Kashmir this year, the highest in the past 8 years. The Indian minister said Indian troops have been successful in killing 35 rebels including several commanders on the LoC this year. Security Forces, however, cannot afford to lower their guard, particularly in view of Lok Sabha and Assembly elections next year. Shinde said the security forces have been instructed not to lower guard on borders and limit civilian casualties and to deny space to "separatist elements for fomenting further disturbances" in the region. Referring to Maoist insurgency or Left Wing Extremism (LWE) in India, he said it continues to pose major threat to country's national security. He said Maoists continue to target security forces and political leaders. He, however, said there been a drop in the casualty figure of Security Forces from 111 last year to 97 this year. On the other hand, he said the number of Naxals killed has gone up to 97 from 71 last year for the same period. The minister said the federal government remains committed to root out the Maoism. The Maoist rebels are active in 83 districts spread across nine states of India. They have been fighting in several Indian states for more than 40 years claiming they have been inspired by the Chinese revolutionary leader Mao Zedong. Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has described the Maoist rebels as India's biggest internal security challenge.