The Army on Tuesday called off the "concerted search operation" in north Kashmir's Keran Sector, two weeks after militants, backed by Pakistan's Special Forces, crossed the line of Control (loC) at multiple points. However, the Army would, continue enhanced counter-insurgency deployment in the area to ward off infiltrators.
This announcement was made by General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Northern Command, lieutenant-General Sanjiv Chachra in Srinagar after returning from Keran.
At the same time, Army chief General Bikram Singh said in Hindon near Delhi that no terrorist can move without the knowledge of Pakistan Army and carry out operations across the loC without its support.
In another development, Director-General of Military Operations lieutenant-General Vinod Bhatia lodged a strong protest with his Pakistani counterpart about the infiltrations in Keran. Though the two DGOMs talk to each other every Tuesday on the hotline, this was the first time India formally raised this issue.
Chachra denied the Army was dealing with an incursion-like situation and maintained they had prior information about the militants' attempts to cross over.
"We knew infiltrators were coming. We were prepared (to deal with them). There have been many infiltration attempts. Some of them eliminated and others foiled", he said. The Army has repeatedly denied the infiltrators had occupied any part of the territory inside the loC. "Sanctity of the loC has been maintained by the Army. This is the mandate given to us," Chachra said.
He said eight infiltrators were killed and 59 weapons including 18 AK rifles, night vision devices, signal and communication equipment and rations that would have sustained them for 20 to 30 days, have been recovered.
Chachra said it was ridiculous to believe the infiltrators were operating without complicity of Pakistan Army. "We are on the loC eyeball to eyeball. We know it (infiltration) cannot be without their complicity," he said adding that an identity card and a letter have been recovered from the slain militants. Terming the incident "as a desperate infiltration bid," the Army Chief said Pakistan Army provided covering fire to the infiltrators.
Denying reports that this was a Kargil-like situation when Pakistan Army intruded into Indian territory and occupied several posts, Singh said: "Many TV channels have talked about this being an intrusion. It is not. If this was intrusion, the adversary would go and occupy dominating ground which is defensible."In this case, they were sitting in a nallah. Which adversary is going to dominate an area by sitting in a nallahIJ"