New Delhi, January 15, 2008 (DefenceIndia News Service)

Holding that the terror infrastructure across the western border is still very much alive and kicking, Army chief General Deepak Kapoor says India will have to guard against a spurt in terrorist activities as a fallout of the ongoing turmoil in Pakistan.

"The terrorist training camps (in Pakistan and PoK) are intact...infiltration is being calibrated. There has been a spate of infiltration bids and violent incidents in J&K over the last two months," said Gen Kapoor, in an exclusive interview to TOI on Tuesday.

There is apprehension that Pakistan, while gunning for jihadis on its western front near Afghanistan to placate the US, may give free rein to militants on its eastern flank with India.

"We are concerned that if there is a strong crackdown on jihadis in Pakistan, one of the options for them could be to head towards India," said Gen Kapoor, adding that security forces were on a high alert along the Indo-Pak border.

While there is a feeling in the Indian security establishment that Pakistani army and ISI are finally getting their comeuppance with militant outfits turning against their erstwhile benefactors, there is also the realisation that an unstable Pakistan is not in India's interests. Asked about General Pervez Musharraf's imposition of 'Emergency-plus' in Pakistan, Gen Kapoor said, "The situation in Pakistan is obviously of concern to the security establishment here...we need to closely monitor it."

He, however, added, "Though the current situation is an internal problem of Pakistan, the Indian government's stated desire is to see an early return to normalcy, secular democracy and elimination of terrorism in Pakistan."

What about the prospect of jihadi elements gaining access to a nuclear weapon or even some enriched uranium from Islamabad's nuclear arsenal in the ongoing chaos there?

"Well, dirty nuclear bombs falling in the hands of jihadis is definitely a worry for all stable countries and democracies...they can be used for anything, even to start an international conflict," said Gen Kapoor.

With the situation still unfolding in Pakistan, the Army chief firmly ruled out any troop cut from J&K at this stage. There has been a 50% drop in violence levels in J&K this year as compared to the corresponding period last year, with a "distinct groundswell for peace" among people, but "what has been gained should not be lost in a hurry".

"Infiltration figures are approximately at the same level as last year. Violence has not been brought down to the desired levels. This is especially true of foreign (read Pakistani) terrorists who have initiated a number of high profile albeit low-risk incidents in the past few weeks," said Gen Kapoor.

Moreover, there are Pakistan-backed terrorist 'sleeper cells' which may be activated to create trouble. "The present situation does not warrant any troop-cut. Rather, any reduction in the tempo of operations at this stage would only help terrorists regroup. Hence, it's premature to talk about any demilitarisation...may be next year," he added.

TNN