Terror ‘leaks’ via western borders since 2004

A security personnel during a search operation following a terror attack at Pahalgam, in Anantnag district, Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday. Pic: PTI

Mumbai/Pune: For over two decades, terrorism is believed to ‘leak’ into India from the western borders with Pakistan, although a whopping 42 militant groups, including the Lashkar-E-Taiba, are banned but remain active in the country, as per a RTI response.

While the maximum number of terrorists were eliminated during the previous Congress-led UPA regime (2004-2014), the current Bharatiya Janata Party-led NDA (2014 onwards) succeeded in curbing border terrorism, but major incidents keep happening.

The details of the terror strikes that occurred in India from 2004-2022 were provided by the Ministry of Home Affairs CPIO (Jammu & Kashmir) Kabiraj Sabar, to Pune RTI activist Prafful Sarda.

The stark statistics reveal that during the 10-year-rule of UPA led by ex-Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, there were 9,321 terror strikes with 4,005 terrorists killed and another 878 nabbed.

Under the NDA’s regime from 2014 till Aug. 2022 (around eight years) headed by PM Narendra Modi, there were 2,132 terror incidents with 1,538 extremists eliminated and 1,432 arrested.

These add up to a staggering 11,453 terror strikes, 5,543 terrorists killed and 2,310 extremists arrested by the Indian Army and other security forces, said Sarda.

Sarda said that the figures - purportedly pertaining to only Jammu & Kashmir region - are shocking and indicate the sheer vulnerability of the country's western borders.

However, details of terror incidents on the northern and north-eastern borders were not provided in the RTI reply.

“The highest number of terrorists were killed by the Indian Army and security forces who encountered the most terror strikes during the UPA government. Admittedly, after the 'surgical strike' (Oct 2016), the BJP regime apparently succeeded in crushing the terror backbone as attacks and killings dropped,” Sarda said.

“The armed forces' valour vis-à-vis radicals in the past two decades is salute-worthy. After the numbing hit in Pahalgam, they will need to hound and gun down the desperadoes who may be prowling around on the western borders,” said Sarda.

Despite the past glorious successes, incidents like Pahalgam - which specifically targeted tourists with a religious angle emerging - pose bigger challenges both to the security forces and the current government, he averred.

Terror dashboard in UPA government (2004-2014):

2004 - 2,565 incidents and 976 killed;

2005 - 1,990 attacks and 917 eliminated;

2006 - 1,667 incidents and 591 neutralised;

2007 - 1,092 attacks and 472 killed;

2008 - 708 incidents, 339 eliminated and 305 arrests;

2009 - 499 attacks, 239 neutralised and 187 nabbed;

2010 - 368 incidents, 232 killed and 155 nabbed;

2011 - 195 attacks, 100 eliminated and 145 nabbed;

2012 - 124 incidents, 72 neutralised and 150 arrested;

2013 - 113 attacks, 67 killed and 86 nabbed.

Extremist dashboard in NDA regime (2014-2022):

2014 - 151 strikes, 110 killed, 70 nabbed;

2015 - 143 incidents, 108 eliminated and 67 nabbed;

2016 - 223 strikes, 150 neutralised and 79 arrested;

2017 - 279 incidents, 213 killed and 97 arrested;

2018 - 417 strikes, 257 eliminated and 105 nabbed;

2019 - 255 incidents, 157 neutralised and 115 arrested;

2020 - 244 strikes, 221 killed and 328 arrests;

2021 - 229 incidents, 180 eliminated and 311 nabbed;

2022 (till August) - 191 strikes, 142 killed and 260 nabbed.