Top Pak army official seeks jihadis’ support
Plot to target defence, civilian areas foiled
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Jan 1: Two Army personnel were martyred in fierce gunbattle with militants at Khari Thrayat in Nowshera sector of Rajouri district early today while security forces have launched joint search operation to track down the infiltrators along the Line of Control (LoC) as well as general areas of Nowshera. Unconfirmed reports tonight said that three militants were killed on the LoC.
Army personnel observed movement of the militants in Khari Thrayat forest area of Nowshera sector in Rajouri district on the intervening night of December 31 and January 1 and launched operation to eliminate them. Fierce gunfight broke out between the two sides that lasted couple of hours.
Two Army soldiers were seriously injured in the encounter and were evacuated to hospital but they attained martyrdom.
Sources said Army, CRPF and police launched massive joint operations in entire Nowshera sector to trace and eliminate the militants, who were suspected to be Pakistanis and had infiltrated into this side from the LoC for specific action like targeting defence installations and civilian areas. However, their plan was foiled by the troops who engaged the militants in the gunbattle.
Late night reports said that three militants were killed on the LoC. However, official sources were yet to confirm the reports of the militant killings. It was being ascertained whether the militants killed on LoC were same who were involved in the encounter or were part of another group.
Top Army Commanders and senior police officers including DIG Rajouri-Poonch range Vivek Gupta were camping in Nowshera sector.
The Army martyrs have been identified as Naik Sawant Sandip Raghunath, 29, a resident of village Karhad in Satara district of Maharashtra and Rifleman Arjun Magar, 25, R/o village Rip in Gorkha district of Nepal. Sawant is survived by his wife Smita Sawant and Thapa by his wife Sarita Thapa Magar.
“Naik Sawant Sandip Raghunath and Rifleman Arjun Thapa Magar were brave, highly motivated and sincere soldiers. The nation will always remain indebted to them for their supreme sacrifices and devotion to duty,” Defence spokesman Lt Col Devender Anand said.
In past about one week, 13 Pakistan army personnel have been killed in retaliation by the Indian troops during Pakistani ceasefire violations on the LoC.
Bodies of the two martyrs will be sent to their native towns tomorrow morning with full military honours.
Indications from across the borders showed that Pakistan army and security officials were in constant touch with militant outfits especially Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) to carry out attacks against Indian Army and civilians close to the LoC.
Pakistan army and security officials were reported to have sought the help of `jehadi’ groups after failing miserably in countering the Indian troops during ceasefire violations on the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir
Major General Asif Ghafoor, the Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the Pakistan army’s media wing, is reported to have visited hardline Jamia Rashidia seminary during trip to Karachi with army chief, General Qamar Bajwa.
Reports said Ghafoor addressed the seminary activists, most of whom were directly affiliated with Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Toiba outfits. Later, Pakistan based top militant commanders of Lashkar and Jaish outfits were also reported to have met Ghafoor in the seminary where the DG ISPR sought their help to carry out terror attacks on Indian side of the LoC.
Another report said Pakistani Rangers, who are deployed along the International Border in Jammu sector met Aurangzeb Farooqi, head of outlawed Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat outfit, and wanted his cadre to infiltrate into Jammu from the IB to cause disturbances.
During past few months, Pakistan army and Rangers had stopped holding direct meetings with militant outfits or their open supporters because of the strong message from Western countries and the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), who wanted Pakistan to take credible, verifiable and irreversible action to counter terrorism and funding.
However, it now appears that Pakistan military no longer wants to even go through the motions of pretending that it has been working to snap its ties with such proscribed organizations.
Meanwhile, a Border Security Force jawan today suffered a bullet injury in the firing by Pakistan army in Poonch district.
The jawan was manning a forward post and was hit by a bullet in the left leg from across the border in Mankote area of Mendhar sector, reports said. He has been identified as Vikas Chhatry.
The injured was shifted to hospital and his condition was stated to be stable.
There was a brief exchange of fire between the two sides following the incident, the official said.
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