JAMMU, June 29 — The Pakistan army has supplied waterproof tents to militants operating in the higher reaches of Jammu and Kashmir. According to official sources, the waterproof tents have been supplied on demand from the militants who conveyed to agencies across the border that during rains and snow it will become difficult for them to seek proper shelter.

Official sources say some of the militant groups that have been brought to the forward defence localities (FDLs) across the border, have been equipped with these waterproof tents. And once they managed to infiltrate into the Indian territory these tents were to be carried to mountain belts of Doda, Poonch, Rajouri, Kupwara districts besides some pockets of Pahalgam and Kokernag areas.

The sources said that despite denial from the Pakistan Government, about 2500 militants, including foreign mercenaries, trained in handling sophisticated weapons, have been brought to the FDLs in recent weeks. Another 3,000 are receiving arms training in nearly 22 training centres across the border.

According to reports reaching here from across the border, 16 of the 22 arms training camps have been shifted from the border villages and set up in interior of Pakistan and occupied Kashmir. These arms training camps have been shifted after the villagers there raised a hue and cry informing the Pakistani army authorities that these training camps had made their lives insecure.

According to these reports, the Pakistani troops have been directed to provide fire cover to the infiltrators so that large groups of them could sneak into Jammu and Kashmir. Official figures indicate that during the past three months the rate of infiltration from across Kupwara, Keran, Tangdhar, Uri, Poonch, Rajouri, R.S. Pora and Samba has increased despite round-the-clock patrolling by the Indian troops.

One report from the field agencies reveal that in April nearly 130 infiltrators sneaked into Kashmir from across the Kupwara and the Uri areas, while in May the number increased to over 300. During the last three weeks the number reportedly crossed over 450.

The Pakistani agencies, according to official sources, have also instructed the militants to limit the use of the wireless sets in order to decrease the chances of interception of the coded messages by the Indian security and intelligence agencies. These instructions have been given following reports that many subversive plans by the militants, were foiled by the security forces on the basis of the interception of the wireless messages.

Another direction given to the rebel outfits, including Jash-e-Mohammad, Lashkar-e-Toiba, Hizbul Mujahideen, is that they should convene periodic meetings and chalk out joint strategies for storming the camps and units of the army, paramilitary forces and the police. In this connection unemployed youth, both from the valley and from across the border, are being recruited as suicide squads after they have been paid large sums of money.

These ‘fidayeens’ have been asked to intensify armed attacks on political leaders, government officials and senior officers of different security agencies.

The militants have been directed to renegade militants they have already rejoined the militant outfits to which they belonged before their surrender.