Krishnagati (Poonch), Apr 21: With the snowline starting to recede along the Pir Panjal mountain ridge due to arrival of summer, Pakistan has stepped up infiltration of heavily armed foreign mercenaries, particularly those of Pakistani-origin, to keep the pot of militancy boiling in Jammu and Kashmir, a senior Army official said. Despite international pressure to shun cross-border terrorism, "Pakistan has accelerated pumping in more and more foreign mercenaries, particularly Pakistani militants to keep the dying militancy alive in J&K, where local militants are fed up with gun culture," Brigade commander of Krishnagati, Brig V K Patil told a news agency correspondent here today. Snow has begun to melt on the mountain ranges along Pir Panjal along the LoC dividing J&K from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) due to arrival of summer, he said, adding infiltration would now rise in May, June and July (the peak period). "See, a day after our Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee asked Pakistan to shun cross-border terrorism, their army pushed a group of nine highly trained gunmen to keep the pot of militancy boiling here," Patil, who looks after the Poonch area of LoC, said.

Bureau Report