Pakistan Install More Telecom Towers Along LOC in PoK are Helping Terrorists

Defense News ,Pakistan :- More Telecom Towers along the Line of Control in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK) are Helping Terrorists

Officials have reported an increase in the number of telecom towers along the Line of Control in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK). The purpose behind this surge is to assist terrorists and their associates in infiltration activities, according to the officials.

Terrorist groups are using highly encrypted YSMS services, a technology that combines smartphones and radio sets for covert communication. This was revealed after studying the pattern of infiltration attempts and recent terror attacks, especially in the south of the Pir Panjal range in the Jammu region.

This technology connects a handler of a terror outfit in PoK with the infiltrating group and its reception party in the Jammu region on a telecom network used across the LoC. The goal is to avoid detection by the Indian army or BSF, which guard the borders with Pakistan.

The responsibility for boosting telecom signals has been given to the Special Communication Organization (SCO), led by Pakistani army officer Maj Gen Umar Ahmad Shah, believed to have formerly worked with Pakistan's spy agency ISI.

The strategic placement of telecom towers near the LoC and the international border, designed to aid terrorists in infiltration activities, violates Article 45 of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) constitution, a body under the United Nations.

Article 45 requires all 193-member countries to take steps to prevent the transmission or circulation of identification signals and to collaborate in locating and identifying stations transmitting such signals.

The matter is being discussed at the ministerial level for international intervention, the officials said.

The new telecom towers operate on Code-Division Multiple Access (CDMA) technology, with encryption done by a Chinese firm mainly for YSMS operations. This rogue telecom infrastructure supports infiltrating terrorists and their contacts in the Jammu and Kashmir regions.

The deployment of CDMA technology aims to complicate monitoring efforts, as it allows multiple signals on a single transmission channel, posing challenges in controlling illegal communications.

Despite the presence of the SCO in PoK, the signals from these towers offer minimal advantages in the Kashmir Valley due to its elevated terrain. However, their signals extend into the Jammu plains, reaching sensitive places like the Kot Balwal jail area.

Conventional measures such as jammers and managed access systems have fallen short, prompting the development of advanced detection capabilities aimed at locating and neutralizing active phones within defined areas.

Security agencies plan to test new technology nationwide, particularly in prisons, to combat security threats effectively.

The smuggling of cell phones into prisons poses a significant public safety hazard, enabling criminals to orchestrate terror activities from within the confines of a prison.

This comes after several security agencies indicated that telecom signals from PoK have been penetrating into Indian territories, affecting regions from Baramulla and Kupwara in Kashmir to Jammu, Kathua, Rajouri, and Poonch Districts in the Jammu division.

Particular concern arises from the communication between terrorists on Indian soil and their handlers in Pakistan, facilitated by various technologies like LoRa, YSMS, Baidu, and Thuraya Satellite Communication. The use of LoRa technology, known for its long-range capabilities, allows terrorists and their handlers to communicate undetected with over ground workers (OGW).