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Recent encounters in Jammu and Kashmir have led to the seizure of sophisticated encrypted Chinese communication equipment or Ultra Sets used by the Pakistani armed forces. They have been found in possession of terrorists, an Army official stated on Monday.

 

It was a matter of concern that Beijing wasactively enhancing covert and overt military capabilities of the Pakistani army along the Line of Control (LoC) for some time now, the official said.

 

Assistance includes training terrorists and providing them with weapons, ammunition, and specialised communication equipment.

 

“The seizure of mobile handsets from terrorists indicates that terror groups are receiving training, weapons, and ammunition from state actors in Pakistan,” the official said.

 

The confiscated Ultra Set handsets, which were found after encounters on July 17–18, 2023, in Surankote, Poonch, and on April 26, 2024, in Sopore, Baramulla, have raised significant concerns in the security apparatus.

 

These handsets, exclusively customised by Chinese companies for the Pakistan army, combine cell phone capabilities with specialised radio equipment that operates independently of traditional mobile technologies like GSM or CDMA.

 

“These devices operate on radio waves for message transmission and reception, with each Ultra Set linked to a control station located across the border,” the official explained. “Two Ultra Sets cannot communicate directly with each other.”

 

The official further stated, “Chinese satellites are used to carry these messages, which are compressed into bytes from the handset to the master server in Pakistan for onward transmission." 

 

In addition to the Ultra Sets Beijing's support for Pakistan includes constructing steelhead bunkers, providing unmanned and combat aerial vehicles, installing encrypted communication towers, and laying underground fibre cables.

 

This has also raised concerns over undetected infiltrations from across the LoC, with the possibility of terrorists residing on the outskirts of cities and villages.

 

The official stressed, “The seizure of mobile handsets used by foreign terrorists, primarily from Pakistan and its occupied Kashmir, indicates that terror groups are receiving significant state support from Pakistan.”