Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, May 22: Army have sounded an alert in the villages across the fencing in Poonch district after Pakistan Army personnel intercepted four porters of security forces and snatched their identity cards, ration items and milk cartons from them and warned them of consequences if they were spotted in the area again.
“All necessary measures have been taken in the areas falling ahead of the fencing. Preliminary investigations have confirmed that the gun-wielding persons were not the militants but Pakistan Army personnel,” official sources told the Excelsior.
They said the Indian side has viewed the incident “very seriously” and would take it up with Pakistan Army appropriately.
Sources said the troops have started keeping surveillance on the villages falling across the fencing on the Indian side especially along the Zero Line to thwart infiltration attempts by the militants this summer though there had been Intelligence inputs that Pakistan Army might not try to push the militants till swearing-in ceremony of their new Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
Investigations into the incident have revealed that all four persons, who had intercepted four porters of the Army across fencing at Sabjian sector in Poonch district last week could be the Pakistan Army jawans. One of them was wearing Pakistan Army’s uniform while three others were in Pathan dress.
The persons in Pathan dress could also be the Intelligence officials of Pakistan Army moving in the forward areas in plain clothes. They had intercepted the porters and snatched identity cards from two of them. They had also taken away some ration items and 12 cartons of milk from the porters.
On return, the porters had narrated entire incident to Army and police, which had conducted massive searches in the area. However, by then, the Pakistan Army personnel had shifted back to their posts, sources said, adding that since the area was open, the Pakistani jawans might have come ahead of their posts to see infiltration route for pushing the militants.
When approached for comments, SSP Poonch Shamsheer Hussain, confirming the incident, said on the basis of statements of the porters, police teams along with Army had conducted searches in all upper areas of Sabjian but didn’t find any traces leading to infiltration from Sabjian belt.
He said the matter was thoroughly investigated.
Sources, however, said that the persons, who had intercepted the porters, might not be the militants but regular jawans of Pakistan Army and Intelligence agencies, who had come close to the LoC with a view to spot infiltration routes for the militants.
Worthwhile to mention here that Sabjian had once been a traditional infiltration route of the militants with numerous attempts made from this sector though majority of them had been thwarted.
“Now, it has become impossible for the militants to sneak into this side due to fencing and surveillance by the Army,” sources said.
Though the Intelligence agencies were anticipating infiltration attempts during summer, they were of the view that the bids could be less as Pakistan wouldn’t like to disturb peace immediately after the installation of Nawaz Sharif as the Prime Minister.
Nevertheless, the troops were maintaining a high alert on the LoC to keep level of the infiltration at zero.
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