Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, July 7: Army today repulsed what could have been a major fidayeen attack on the Line of Control (LoC) in Pallanwalla sector of Akhnoor when it intercepted a group of three militants about 150 meters inside the Indian territory and after heavy exchange of firing forced them to flee back to Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) while an Army soldier was injured in ceasefire violation by Pakistan Army at Digwar sector in Poonch district.
Official sources told the Excelsior that three militants in Pathan dresses and equipped with sophisticated weaponry sneaked about 150 meters deep into the Indian territory from Sukhtao Nullah in Beri Pattan village under the jurisdiction of Khour police station in Pallanwalla sector of Akhnoor tehsil at 6.30 am today.
Troops immediately intercepted the militants and challenged them to surrender but they opened firing. Troops retaliated leading to heavy exchange of firing. After about half an hour exchange of firing, the militants fled back to PoK.
Public Relations Officer (PRO) Defence Lt Col Manish Mehta said the Army foiled the infiltration attempt by three unidentified terrorists about 30 meters inside the Indian territory. The militants fled back to PoK.
“There were no casualties on the Indian side,” Lt Col Mehta said, adding that the troops who were maintaining high alert on the LoC intercepted the militants as soon as they entered the Indian territory and foiled their attempt to sneak into this side.
Sources said the militants were wearing Pathan dresses and were equipped with sophisticated weapons and explosive material, which indicated that they were trying to infiltrate inside the Indian territory with a view to carry out fidayeen attack.
“There had already been Intelligence inputs with all security agencies operating on the LoC and International Border that the militants were desperate to infiltrate into the Indian territory with a view to carry out fidayeen attack on Amarnath yatra,” they added.
General Officer Commanding (GOC), 16 Corps Lt Gen KH Singh had recently stated in Nowshera that 200 to 225 militants were active opposite the LoC awaiting an opportunity to infiltrate into this side.
Sources said the security forces were maintaining high alert on the LoC and IB in entire Jammu and Kashmir following inputs that the militants were desperate to target the Amarnath yatra or carry out strike at other sensitive places in Jammu after formation of PDP-BJP Government in the State.
Meanwhile, Pakistan Army resorted to unprovoked firing in Digwar sector of Poonch district targeting forward Army posts on the LoC at 9.45 am today. Troops retaliated appropriately.
Exchange of firing continued for about 15 minutes.
An Indian post was directly hit by the bullets fired by the Pakistan side in which an Army soldier Lance Naik Jatinder Kumar was injured. He was evacuated from the site of firing and shifted to the Military Hospital, where his condition was stated to be stable.
Casualties, if any, on the other side of LoC, were not known.
Sources said the Pakistani ceasefire violation on the LoC was completely unprovoked.
Only a day before, Pakistani Rangers had targeted six forward posts of the Border Security Force (BSF) and civilian areas on the International Border in Arnia sector in which several houses were damage and cattle was killed. The Rangers had violated ceasefire three times in Arnia sector. However, the BSF retaliation had silences guns of the Rangers.
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