Amit Khajuria,Tribune News Service,Jammu, December 31

In a major security concern, Pakistan has increased its mobile tower range near the international border, keeping security agencies on their toes. The Defence Ministry remains tightlipped on the issue.Pakistan has spread its mobile tower range across the international border, touching the Jammu-Pathankot national highway in Jammu and Kashmir.Mobile phones in Kathua and Samba districts in Jammu and Kashmir are catching the service of Pakistani telecom operators, which have raised their signal strength near the international border.Pakistani telecom operators like Mobilink, Zong and PakUfone are active on National Highway 1, which connects Jammu and Kashmir with the rest of the country. It had remained among the targets of terrorists for 12 years.After crossing Lakhanpur, prepaid mobile phones of networks from the rest of the country stop working and mobile phones start searching for network automatically.Some mobile networks from the other side of the border are tracked by the mobile phones, causing fear among tourists and pilgrims and raising a a big question mark on security.A number of incidents involving terrorists had taken place on the highway in recent years. The strong mobile signal strength on this side of the border could help Pakistani terrorists in their operations. Despite repeated attempts, the Defence Ministry did not respond on the issue.A technical expert of a telecom operator in Jammu told The Tribune on the condition of anonymity that no one was allowed to install a tower or radiation equipment within a radius of 10 km from the border on the Indian side.

Network@neighbour

• Mobiles in Kathua and Samba districts catching service of Pak telecom providers
• Service providers like Mobilink, Zong and PakUfone active on National Highway 1
• Strong mobile signal strength on this side of the border can help Pakistani terrorists