Uneasy calm prevailing on the International Border and across the line of Control is baffling Intelligence agencies in Jammu & Kashmir in the run up to the Deepawali festivities.
Senior officers tasked with the crucial job of quantifying the threat level from across the border are finding it difficult to make a reasonable assessment as Pakistan Army and Pakistan Rangers are playing the wait and watch game along the frontiers.
Internally, the paramilitary forces and the State police are on a high alert due to the festival season and ongoing shifting of offices from Kashmir Valley to Jammu.
Despite receiving regular reports of gradual build up of Pakistani forces on the other side of the border the International Border has not witnessed any fresh violation of ceasefire agreement after the surgical strikes of September 28. After assessing the fresh call intercepts between militant handlers and their local cadre the Intelligence agencies have warned the Centre and the State Government against lowering the guard in the coming days.
Intelligence agencies have also warned that the enemy might take advantage of the celebratory mood prevailing in the North Indian States to strike hard to avenge surgical strikes by the elite Para Commandos on terror launch pads inside Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir.
After the initial build-up of tensions life is returning to normal with the arrival of majority of border residents to their homes and hearths.
Marriages are being solemnised and majority of educational institutions have resumed classes in border areas. Religious fervour was at its peak during Dussehra and Muharram in these forward areas.
At the same time the local formation commanders along the International Border and the loC are not taking any chances when it comes to maintaining a tight vigil to prevent fresh intrusion bids.
The counter-infiltration grid across the State has been tightened following initial reports of mass build-up of infiltrators along the terror launch pads across the loC in PoK and along the IB.
Governor NN Vohra while chairing a high level meeting in Srinagar on Friday evening directed the senior officers of the security grid to carry out multi agency security audit of military and other vital installations especially in the wake of series of strikes on Army installations.
Directions were also issued to resume counter-militant operations to reduce the number of militant strikes on security personnel in the Kashmir Valley.
In Jammu, lieutenant- General Surinder Singh, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Command visited field formations in Samba and Jammu region including forward areas to review the operational readiness of formations in the border areas.
lt-Gen Singh had detailed interactions and deliberations with the commanders and interacted with troops. The officer appreciated the high state of operational readiness and high morale of the troops.
On Saturday Samba Brigade organized a joint Civil-Military interaction and cooperation meeting in the border village Raiyan of Samba District to make them aware of various safety measures during cross-border firing.
The event was chaired by the Commander of Samba Brigade along with Commanding Officer of a local unit, the Sarpanches, Nambardars and village defence committee (VDC) members of border villages of Samba District. The event provided the much need launch pad to project the problems being faced by the people of border areas.