Srinagar: Encounters with terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir have resulted in the seizure of sophisticated Chinese telecom equipment known as “Ultra Set”, intended for use by the Pakistani army but intercepted in the hands of terror groups, officials reported.
The incidents have underscored concerns about potential infiltrations across the Line of Control (LoC) and the presence of terrorists in urban and rural areas, officials added.
“These specialized handsets, custom-made by Chinese firms for the Pakistani army, were recovered after engagements with foreign terrorists linked to Pakistan and its occupied Kashmir,” officials familiar with the matter disclosed.
The seizures of these devices occurred during operations on the night of July 17-18 last year in the Sindarah top area of Surankote, Poonch district, and on April 26 this year during an encounter in Check Mohalla Nowpora, Sopore, Baramulla district in north Kashmir. In Surankote, four foreign terrorists were neutralized, while two were eliminated in Sopore.
The “Ultra Set” devices integrate cellular capabilities with specialized radio equipment that operates independently of conventional mobile technologies like GSM or CDMA. Officials revealed that each device is linked to a control station situated across the border, facilitating communication via radio waves. Messages are transmitted via Chinese satellites and compressed into bytes before reaching a master server in Pakistan for onward dissemination.
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According to officials, these actions signify continued support from China to Pakistan, its strategic ally. Beijing has been actively bolstering Pakistan’s defense infrastructure along the LoC, including the construction of fortified bunkers, provision of unmanned aerial and combat vehicles, deployment of encrypted communication towers, and laying of underground fiber cables.
Chinese radar systems such as the “JY” and “HGR” series have also been deployed to enhance Pakistan’s reconnaissance capabilities, alongside sightings of advanced weaponry like the SH-15 truck-mounted howitzer at various points along the LoC.
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These initiatives are seen as reinforcing China’s strategic interests, particularly concerning the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). Reports suggest that while senior PLA officials have not been observed at forward posts, intercepted communications indicate Chinese involvement in infrastructure projects, including tunnel construction in PoK’s Leepa Valley.
These developments are believed to facilitate a direct route linking Pakistan’s Gwadar Port and China’s Xinjiang province via the Karakoram Highway, an area under Chinese control.
