The ‘infiltration highway’ in Mendhar sector of Poonch has become the focal point of ceasefire violations from across the line of Control. In the last 10 days more than 20 incidents of ceasefire violations have been reported in the area. The intensity with which the Pakistani troops are resorting to ‘unprovoked’ firing and targeting the civilian areas on the Indian side, it is clear the chances of immediate de-escalation look bleak.
In response, the Indian Army has also geared up its men and machinery in the area to strongly respond to the extreme provocations. At the same time the Indian Army has claimed that the Pakistani troops are trying to engineer more Border Action Team (BAT) attacks on the forward Indian posts to inflict maximum damage.
After carrying out BAT operations in which five Indian soldiers were martyred on August 6 in Chakan-da-bagh area of Poonch, the alert BSF jawans deployed in Krishna Ghati sector of Poonch had foiled a latest BAT attack on August 13-14.
“The BSF jawans deployed along the loC had picked up the movement of five to six members of BAT team in the area and repulsed the attack. The BAT team had to retrieve under the cover of firing from PAK troops”, official sources told The Pioneer.
“There are inputs of such (BAT) actions. In this area they have not done anything so far. There are inputs that they are going to try something (engineer BAT attacks on the forward posts along loC),” Brigade Commander, 120 Infantry Brigade, A Sengupta told reporters in Bhimbher Gali in Poonch sector along the loC.
Meanwhile, since late Saturday night the Pakistani Army is engaged in intense exchange of firing along the line of control in Poonch. “The Pak Army first started firing on the Indian forward posts in Mendhar sector around 2.00 am. They fired mortars and used high calibre guns to target the Indian posts in the area, official sources said. The second ceasefire violation was reported around 2.05 pm on Sunday and the third time the Pak guns started roaring in Balakote sector around 5.30 pm. According to defence sources, the firing along the line of control in Poonch sector was going on across several sub-sectors till last reports came in.
“Pakistan troops have been firing on our forward posts daily for past couple of days. They are firing intensely with mortar bomb, rockets, RPG and high calibre weaponry,” Brigadier Sengupta said. They are not only directly firing on the posts but also target civilian villages along borderline, said the officer, who looks after operation command of three-tiered fence along the loC in Bhimber gali sector.
“Pakistan is not showing any respect to the Indo-Pak ceasefire. They are violating it daily by firing at us. Where is sanctity of this truce,” he said, maintaining that Indian troops have always respected the truce despite provocations in the past. Not only this, there is also threat of Pak BAT attacks on our posts so the troops are alert and vigilant round the clock,” said Col Anai Shanker of unit deployed in the border-sector.
Sengupta said the firing from Pakistani side was aimed at helping terrorists infiltrate and demoralise the troops posted along loC. “But the morale of our troops is very high,” he said.
The officer said the ceasefire violations are “very intense and totally unprovoked”. “Troops are ready to give a strong response to those firing from across. We have also strongly retaliated in these sectors — their five posts have been damaged in retaliation by us,” Sengupta said.
GOC 25 Infantry Division Major General VP Singh told reporters in Rajouri, “ The ceasefire violations from across the line of Control are due to frustration over failure of infiltration bids by terrorists. “We have major inputs that there are a large number of terrorists from 200-300 ,” he said.
Since August 10, the Army personnel feel that the daily Pakistani firing has brought the situation back to pre-2003 when jawans were entrenched in their mud posts with lMGs and MMGs round-the-clock to retaliate to any Pakistani provocation.
Meanwhile, fresh infiltration bid was foiled by alert troops in the Keran sector of Kupwara on Sunday. According to Defence spokesperson in Srinagar, “The alert troops of the Frontline Vajr Division of North Kashmir, detected movement of a group of terrorists around 250m ahead of the fence. On being challenged the terrorists opened indiscriminate fire and were retaliated heavily by Army troops. The exchange of fire continued till early morning.
Presently the search operations are on in the area,the spokesman said. He said this is the second infiltration attempt in past one week from the same area by the terrorists in which two terrorists were eliminated.