Vishwa Mohan/TNN
New Delhi, Oct 22: The number of Pakistani nationals who did not return after coming to India using valid travel documents has increased by nearly 30% in 2008 — the year when the level of infiltration in Jammu and Kashmir has dropped substantially.
Is this a mere coincidence or is there some design in it? The question is haunting the minds of security agencies which have found that as many as 9,636 Pakistani nationals did not return to their country after expiry of their visas this year as compared to 7,404 in 2007.
Though all those who went missing may not be terrorists or criminals, the substantial increase in the number this year has made the security agencies sit up.
While 7,404 Pakistanis did not return after expiry of their visas in 2007, the figure was 7,650 in 2006 and 7,043 in 2005. The figures — disclosed in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday — clearly show the marginal increase or decrease in the number of missing Pakistanis during 2005-07 as compared to what was recorded (9,636) till July this year.
Sources in the home ministry said that though some of them had been deported after verification as they recorded their presence with the concerned Foreigners Regional Registration Offices (FRROs), it had been quite difficult to trace each one of them who disappeared after arrival.
Without ruling out the possibility of Pakistani intelligence agency ISI taking the legal route (using proper visa) to sneak in terrorists into India, a senior home ministry official said: “It is suspected particularly when the number of infiltration has come down substantially this year. The ISI can do it to beat its failure on the infiltration front.”
He said: "The authorities in Pakistan can adopt any means to infiltrate militants when a number of infiltration bids have been foiled this year by the Army and BSF. The role of the Pakistani Army and Pakistan Rangers in helping infiltrators through cover fire is not a secret."
As against 419 infiltrators during April-September 2007, there have been only 243 infiltrators during the same period this year with the Army establishing a strong "multi-tier counter infiltration grid".