Encounters with terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir have led to the seizure of highly encrypted Chinese telecom gear, “Ultra Set,” equipment used by the Pakistani army. This has raised concerns about undetected infiltrations from across the Line of Control (LoC) and terrorists potentially residing in the outskirts of cities and villages.
The mobile handsets used by foreign terrorists, primarily from Pakistan and its occupied Kashmir, indicate that terror groups are receiving training, weapons, and ammunition from state actors in Pakistan. These specialized handsets, exclusively customized by Chinese companies for the Pakistan army, were seized after gunfights in July 2022 and April 2023. Four foreign terrorists were killed in Surankote, while two were gunned down in Sopore.
The “Ultra Set” handsets, also found in the south of the Pir Panjal region, combine cell-phone capabilities with specialized radio equipment that does not rely on traditional mobile technologies like GSM or CDMA. The device operates on radio waves for message transmission and reception, with each “Ultra Set” linked to a control station across the border. Chinese satellites are used to carry these messages that are compressed to bytes from the handset to the master server in Pakistan for its onward transmission.
This is yet another instance of China extending support to its key ally Pakistan. Beijing has been actively enhancing the Pakistani army’s defense capabilities along the LoC for some time now. This support includes the construction of steelhead bunkers, provisioning of unmanned aerial and combat aerial vehicles, installation of encrypted communication towers, and laying of underground fibre cables.
Chinese radar systems such as those of the “JY” and “HGR” series have been deployed to improve target detection capabilities, while advanced weaponry like the SH-15 truck-mounted howitzer has been observed at various locations along the LoC. These efforts are perceived as reinforcing China’s strategic interests in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), particularly in connection with the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
While the presence of senior People’s Liberation Army (PLA) officials at forward posts was not detected, intercepted communications suggest that Chinese troops and engineers have been involved in infrastructure development along the LoC, including the construction of underground bunkers and tunnels in PoK’s Leepa Valley. These actions are believed to support the establishment of a direct route between the Gwadar Port in Pakistan and the Xinjiang province in China through the Karakoram Highway, a region under Chinese occupation.
