BAHRAICH – Pakistan is sneaking an increasing number of infiltrators through the porous Indo-Nepal border using four little known gateways in the Terai region along the western border. This year, 107 men and 43 women infiltrated through the Nepal border till October, reliable sources told TOI. The 2012 count is the highest in the last five years.
Between 2007 and 2010,127 men and five families from Pakistan crossed the Indian border. The number rose in 2011 when 61 men and 15 women came and settled on the Indian side. But the trend over the last 10 months is unprecedented.
Among those who came to India this year, 40 married within months of arrival. Early settlement, marriage and raising families are encouraged by the Pakistani intelligence, which is suspected to have a long-term plan to bleed India from inside with the help of these infiltrators. “They can be used to generate mass protests against local issues. Children may be trained to take up arms in future,” said a source in the intelligence wing.
Monitoring these individuals and families is an additional burden on local police stations, many of which are under-staffed and short of resources. India’s 1580-km long border with Nepal is a favorite zone for infiltration. Sources said along with these infiltrators, who may be causing damage from inside, hardcore terrorists also sneak in to plan and execute subversive activities. While known border posts like the one at Raxaul is under surveillance, there are many other entry points either unguarded or poorly guarded
The safe houses maintained by Inter-Service Intelligence ( ISI) or Lashkar-e-Taiba ( LeT) in Nepal often come in handy in housing these terrorists and infiltrators for some time, before they travel to India as tourists.
The route through the Indian border with the Himalayan nation is now preferred by Pakistani handlers as it avoids stricter surveillance maintained for Pakistanis at other gateways.
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