New Delhi: A day after three Jaish-e-Mohammed militants were gunned down in an encounter in the Kulgam district of South Kashmir, the Indian Army warned that a large number of terrorists are camped in ‘launch pads’ in PoK, waiting to infiltrate across the Line of Control before winter, when heavy snow impedes movement across mountains.
In a statement on Monday, the Army said that since May 30, when the Director Generals of Military Operations (DGsMO) from India and Pakistan decided to “fully implement” the 2003 ceasefire, it has foiled seven infiltration bids in which it has eliminated 23 terrorists. These terrorists, it said, were being pushed by the Pakistan army.
“Since the DGsMO talk on May 29, which was held at the behest of Pakistan, Indian Army has been maintaining utmost restraint to uphold the ceasefire along the LC despite regular provocative actions from across. However, Pakistan Army has been vigorously attempting to send terrorists across the LC. Since May 30, seven infiltration bids have been eliminated by the Indian Army in which 23 terrorists have been killed,” the Indian Army said in a statement.
Since the ceasefire pact, this is the first time Indian Army has levelled a direct allegation against Pakistan army of supporting terrorists and pushing them to India. In 2003, both countries had released statements agreeing to “fully implement” the ceasefire pact of 2003 in “letter and spirit” and to stop cross border firings.
It added that it had received “reports [that] suggest concentration of large number of terrorists in the launch pads, desperate to infiltrate before the onset of snow.”
A stern warning has been conveyed to Pakistan army to “restrain the terrorists operating from its soil” the statement said.
Three army soldiers were killed and one soldier suffered injuries in Sunderbani sector of Jammu region on Sunday when a group of Pakistani intruders which had infiltrated the LC fired on an army patrol party.
Two of the intruders, who were found wearing combat uniform, were killed in the action. The army suspects that five to six intruders had crossed over to India.
Meanwhile, Riyaz Naikoo, the chief of Kashmir-based terror group Hizbul Mujahideen, released an audio statement in which he called for Pakistan to send more weapons into Kashmir. He said the “base camp”, presumably Muzaffarabad in PoK which is the headquarters of Hizbul Mujahideen, had not pushed enough guns into Kashmir this year. Naikoo also blamed Pakistan for “using Kashmir” only for election campaigning.
“Only Pakistan can be our leader. Unfortunately their politicians have used Kashmir only for election campaigning,” he said, adding, “We have a lot of problems but paucity of weapons is our biggest problem. In the 90s our youths had AK47 [assault rifles] and till today our boys are supplied with the same guns, some don’t even have that.”
In what could be a testimony to the growing influence of Indian security agencies, Naikoo said a lot of contacts in the “base camp” had been compromised and warned his cadre in the Valley to cautious in their interactions with people.
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