``They immediately informed their bosses on wireless about their location,'' a member of the family said. The reluctant hosts were told not to be afraid or act smart. While the women and children were immediately sent to relatives' with a warning to keep mum, the men from the family played reluctant hosts. They were asked to cook and buy fruit for the injured man and later sent for the doctor of mujjahids' choice.

The Sheikhs, who live on the outskirts of Srinagar, not far from the local unit of the security forcs, kept the visit of militants a closely guarded secret till they realised that all their neighbours had suffered this nightmare one time or theother. ``The appeared to be prepared for an encounter and we knew anything could happen to us,'' said Nazima.

Shabir, a policemen living in Bandipore village in north Kashmir has not visited his home for six months. His village has become a playground for foreign militants during the night and he is afraid of being killed by them. The militants descend from the forest during the night and roam around freely in the village.

``All the Ikhwanis (former militants who formed strong counter-insurgent groups) have joined them after they beheaded the commander of the group,'' says Shabir. He says the ``mujjahids'' pay for the food and take care no to misbehave. ``But we know their friendship is a facade and part of their strategy to win over people''.

Vijay Dhar, a Kashmiri businessman enjoying good political connections says he had been advised against investing money by his Muslim friends. ``Once again like in 1989, everyone in Kashmir is talking about the ominous,'' he said. Dhar says keeping his ears to theground had always helped him in taking correct decisions and this time the overwhelming presence of foreign mercenaries on Kashmir's soil is a disturbing trend.

Kashmir is agog with such stories once again. From the most infiltration-prone north Kashmir to the once militancy-free south Kashmir, foreign mercenaries are said to be boisterously moving in the villages and some city areas. The reins of militancy is fast slipping into foreigners hands.

Admitting the increased presence of foreign mercenaries, Army's Kashmir commander Lt Gen. Krishan Pal says the foreigners comprised nearly half of the militants killed in Kashmir last year. This year too the ratio is almost the same. Pal, commander of Srinagar-based 15 Corps however says: ``Foreigners would be eliminated although they tend to fight to the finish''.

However, the public bravado of the security authorities notwithstanding, the agencies are perturbed over the steady inflow of foreigners, majority of whom are Punjabis from Pakistan. Nazir Sheikh,general secretary of the National Conference feels the foreigners were the biggest threat to Kashmiris. ``It seems Kashmir has been converted into a training ground for these foreigners,'' he says. The NC leader feels the mercenaries were behind the recent spurt in killings of activists of his party.

``Mercenaries have changed their tactics,'' said a senior intelligence officer. Their strategy is to win over the people, who are generally disenchanted with the political set-up. ``They demonstratively pray five times and show respect to the elders and women to impress upon the people,'' he said.

Mercenaries move in groups from village to village simply to make their presence felt. Their task is cut out eliminate Kashmiris found helping forces most brutally and maintain a moral high ground among the general masses.

``People were thrilled when foreigners killed some of the Ikhwanis who had unleashed a rein of terror in our area,'' villagers from a north Kashmir village said.

A senior para-militaryofficer who had interrogated several Pakistani mercenaries says: ``I found that these Pakistanis have a higher degree of motivation and they take more initiatives for sabotage as compared to Kashmiris.'' Movements of the mercenaries inside the populated areas, he said, caused tremendous psychological impact in favour of militancy.

With nearly 3,000 to 4,000 mercenaries awaiting across the line of control to sneak into Kashmir, security forces admit that clearing the jungle sanctuaries of these foreigners has become tough. Mercenaries are said to be holding complete control of desolate jungles of Doda like Wadwun, higher reaches of Udhampur and even Rajwar forests in Kupwara. They are equipped with mobile latrines, food stocks and better communication facilities. ``They are putting up in underground hideouts and no amount of aerial strafing could dislodge them,'' a senior Army officer said.

Secessionist propagandists in Kashmir assert that the trickle of mercenaries would one day swell into a full-fledgedfighting army and could pull the rug under the feet of the security forces. Besides, foreigners religious image helps them keep the flame of Islamic resurgence in Kashmir alive which in turns lend a wider purpose and meaning to the movement.

(Some names have been changed to protect their identity)