*Pak made juices, ORS, medicines seized
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Sept 14: General Officer Commanding (GOC), 16 Corps, Lt Gen RR Nimbhorkar today exposed Pakistan’s link behind three-day long terror attack in Poonch saying all four militants involved in it were Pakistanis affiliated to Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) outfit and had planned to carry out “spectacular attack” in the border town but their plan was thwarted by the security forces.
Lt Gen Nimbhorkar told reporters in Poonch this morning after visiting site of encounter and holding high level review of the situation with top Army Commanders that 150 to 170 terrorists were still awaiting across the Line of Control (LoC) to intrude into the Indian territory with the help of Pakistani troops. However, he said, Army has been put on “very high alert” along LoC in twin border districts of Rajouri and Poonch to ensure that the militants didn’t manage to infiltrate.
“There are nearly 150 to 170 terrorists camping across the LoC waiting for infiltration into this side but our troops were maintaining alert to thwart the militants’ strategy. We will not allow the militants to succeed,” he said, adding that four militants, who were killed in Poonch encounter were Pakistanis, affiliated with `Suicide Squads’ of the LeT outfit.
The militants had infiltrated from Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK), he said, adding he can’t say at this stage about the route taken by the militants to enter Poonch town after infiltration.
Meanwhile, during searches of under-construction Mini Secretariat and `Mir Manzil’ buildings, where two each militants had taken shelter, police today recovered Pakistan made ORS, manufactured by Neutraceuticals (NRS), Harbal Division, Thokar, Ralwind Road, Lahore, fruit juices of Nestle Fruta Vitals, 108, Upper Mall, Lahore, a dairy milk chocolate with `Made in Pakistan’ written on it, Rs 1650 in Pakistan currency (three notes of Rs 500 and one each of Rs 100 and Rs 50), and tablets of Magnesium Tricilicate and Aluminium Hydrochloride among others. A petrol bomb was also recovered from the spot.
SSP Poonch Jatinder Singh Johar, who led the operation, said these items were “more than enough” to establish Pakistan link of the militants.
Asserting that the militants had “definite plan” to disturb peace in Jammu region by carrying out the terror attack in Poonch, Lt Gen Nimbhorkar, however, declined to link it with ongoing about 70-day long unrest in the Valley.
“The militants were Pakistanis. They had come from across. But we can’t say the terror attack was linked to Kashmir unrest though it was definitely aimed at disturbing peace in Jammu region especially Poonch. However, the militants’ plan has been foiled with the killing of all of them,” the top Army Commander said, adding the militants wanted to carry out “spectacular attack” but failed to do so due to alertness on ground.
On infiltration attempts, he said Pakistan strategy has been to open firing and push the militants but this (strategy) has been well understood and adequate measures were put in place to foil intrusion bids.
Meanwhile, a clear shift was seen in the strategy of Pakistani militants during Poonch terror attack.
Official sources told the Excelsior that in this terror attack, the Pakistani militants had tried to destroy all `Made in Pakistan’ items, which they had brought with them from across the border, before being eliminated but couldn’t succeed as many such items were left, which the cops recovered.
They said the militant commander, Saifullah, had destroyed the radio set he was carrying with him before dying to ensure that security forces didn’t manage to extract data from it. Moreover, they had burnt or destroyed many eatables, which carried the mark `Make in Pakistan’ after consuming them but many items were still left.
However, security agencies still managed to get one GPS (Global Positioning System), one Dairy Milk `Made in Pakistan’ chocolate and some maps from the site of encounter. The GPS device has been sent to Cyber Cell of Jammu and Kashmir Police to de-code it. Sources said the GPS could give route taken by the militants to infiltrate into Poonch from PoK.
Apart from the GPS, a couple of maps used by the militants carrying route to reach Poonch, have also been recovered, sources said, adding the evidence at the site of encounter revealed that there were many items with the militants, mostly the eatables, with `Made in Pakistan’ mark, which they had destroyed after consuming them or before being killed.
This, according to sources, was done by the militants to avoid Pakistan link to the terror attack. However, the Pakistan link was still there with the recovery of GPS, maps and other Pakistan made items. Moreover, all four militants, were also Pakistanis, they said.
The slain militants were yesterday identified as Saifullah, Umar, Tallah and Masood. They were operating with code names after their infiltration into the Indian side.
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