Pakistan military has asked local villagers in north Kashmir’s Keran area to stop work on a building closer to the line of Control (loC).
The construction work was taken up under Border Area Development Plan (BADP) to develop Keran, a dwelling 130 kilometre north from here, as a model village. Pakistani troops have reportedly cited agreement between India and Pakistan barring construction works within 150 metres oneach side of the loC.
Deputy Commissioner Kupwara Itrat Hussain Rafiqi confirmed that the construction work has been stopped. A team of State officers is likely to visit the highly militarised area to assess the situation, sources said.
Keran sector has been in limelight since the last week of September when Indian Army claimed that 30 to 40 highly-trained militants had been engaged in gun-battles in a vast stretch after their infiltration. Even as eight infiltrators were claimed to have been killed, the infiltration saga remained mired in controversy.
While defence Ministry is mulling inquiry into Keran infiltration, the volatile sector has regained focus for a different reason. Sources said Pakistani troops used Public Address System to “advise” J&K officials and villagers to stop construction work near the loC. A local newspaper reported that some Pakistani uniformed soldiers personally met the villagers and officials to lodge their protest on the construction.
The State Government with direct financial assistance from the Centre is developing Keran village under BADP and construction work was being carried to develop infrastructure at a local school. The prominent border village has been granted an amount of Rs 2. 45 crore after the authorities declared it as “model village” for exclusive funding for development.
Besides developing electricity and water-supply facilities, a community center, children park and scientific laboratory are being constructed in the village. Most of the districts in Jammu and Kashmir are situation along the border with Pakistan and China. Kupwara is one of the prominent districts where developmental works are carried out in forward areas under BADP and MGNREGA.
This is for the first time that Pakistan has raised objections on construction work being carried out for the local community.
Many a times, troops from both sides raise objections on building bunkers or Observation Points. In 2011, Chinese troops had raised objection on carrying out construction works in Nyoma pockt of leh in ladakh region.