Surgical strikes across LoC: India prepares for possible Pakistan retaliation
TNN & Agencies | Updated: Sep 29, 2016, 07.43 PM IST
HIGHLIGHTS
- Army has conducted surgical strikes on terror launch pads across the Line of Control.
- Border villages in Punjab and J&K have been put on alert.
- Foreign secretary has briefed envoys of major nations on surgical strikes.
- Rajnath Singh chaired an all-party meet on surgical strikes.
Jawans patrol the international border.(File photo
NEW DELHI: In the first such action, India carried out surgical strikes on seven terror launch pads+ across the
Line of Control (LoC) with the Army saying on Thursday its special forces inflicted "significant casualties"+ on terrorists preparing to infiltrate from Azad Kashmir(Azad Kashmir).
Defence sources said seven terror launch pads across the LoC were destroyed+by special forces of the Indian Army on the intervening night of September 28 and 29 in a nearly five-hour-long operation during which heliborne and ground forces were deployed.
The sources said the launch pads in Azad Kashmir were in the range of 2 to 3km from the LoC and were under surveillance for over one week while Union minister Venkaiah Naidu+ said the strikes targeted 5-6 places across the LoC along Kupwara and Poonch in Jammu and Kashmir. Naidu said there was no casualty on the Indian side.
The announcement of the sudden action by the Army to prevent fresh terror attacks was made by the DGMO Lt Gen Ranbir Singh+ , 11 days after the strike byPakistan-based terror outfit JeM+ on an Indian Army camp in Uri+ in Kashmir over which Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the attackers will not go "unpunished"+ and that the sacrifice of 18 jawans will not go in vain.
Here is what the government is doing to meet any challenge from Pakistan following the Army's surgical strikes across the LoC:
BSF puts all border units along international border on high alert
The BSF has put all its units along the international border (IB) on "high alert"+ in the wake of the surgical strikes+ by India on terror launch pads across the LoC last night.
Officials said the Border Security Force+ (BSF) has issued orders to all its units along IB in Jammu, Punjab, Rajasthan and Gujarat to step up vigil and bolster their numbers at the posts by bringing in all personnel who are in the reserve.
The ceremonial beating retreat ceremony at Attari border has also been closed for public on Thursday, officials said.
Border villagers in J&K, Punjab asked to shift to safer places
People living within 10km of the border with Pakistan in Jammu and Kashmir+ and Punjab have been asked to shift to safer places and schools ordered to be shut till further notice in the wake of surgical strike carried out by the Indian Army across the Line of Control (LoC).
"We have asked border villagers living along IB and LoC to shift to safer area as a precautionery measure," deputy commissioner, Jammu, Simrandeep Singh said.
All people living within 7 to 8km of India-Pakistan border have been asked to move to safer areas and schools in 10km area to be ordered to close down till further notice, he said.
These directions have been passed on to people living along IB in Jammu, Samba and Kathua districts and along LOC in Rajouri and Poonch, officials said.
In some areas of R S Pura, the movement of the border residents to safer places has already begun.
"We have passed directions to them to move to safer places and some of them have started to move to the houses of their relatives in safer places," a Police officer said.
Army+ has started evacuating people living in the adjoining areas in Noushera belt of Rajouri anticipation of a possible retaliation by Pakistani troops, officials said.
In Punjab too, people residing in villages within 10 km of the International Border were asked to shift to safer places. Six districts of the state share border with Pakistan.
The schools in the border areas have also been asked to remain shut until further orders, they said.
Chief minister Parkash Singh Badal has put the entire government and political machinery in an emergency mode, an official spokesman said in Chandigarh.
Punjab: Villages in
#Pathankot being evacuated following
#SurgicalStrike by Indian Army
pic.twitter.com/5e8rig5MXT
— ANI (@ANI_news)
September 29, 2016Punjab: Villages near Attari sector being evacuated after
#SurgicalStrike conducted by Indian Army.
pic.twitter.com/ma9D7SMCp2
— ANI (@ANI_news)
September 29, 2016
Union home minister Rajnath Singh spoke to Badal over telephone today to request him to immediately start the process of evacuation of the people residing in the villages falling within 10km of the international border in view of the escalating situation, the spokesman said.
Badal has directed the chief secretary and DGP to ask the concerned deputy commissioners (DCs) and senior superintendents of police (SSPs) to oversee the entire evacuation process in the border districts of Ferozepur, Fazilka, Amritsar, Taran Tarn, Gurdaspur and Pathankot.
India takes other nations on board
Stepping up India's diplomatic offensive, foreign secretary S Jaishankar on Thursday met envoys of 22 countries, including five permamanet members of the
United Nations Security Council, and briefed them about Army's surgical strikes. To mount international pressure on Pakistan, India has already opted out of the SAARC summit, which was to be held in Islamabad. After India, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Afghanistan also followed suit,leading to postponement of the SAARC summit.
Rajnath chairs all-party meet+
Union home minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday briefed leaders of major political parties+ on the situation in the wake of Army's surgical strike targeting terror launch pads across the Line of Control.
Singh chaired the hurriedly called all-party meet after DGMO Lt Gen Ranbir Singh announced that surgical strike on terror launch pads were conducted last night.
Defence minister manohar Parrikar, external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj and NSA Ajit Doval were present at the meet attended by BJP chief Amit Shah, Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, CPM leader Sitaram Yechury, JD(U) leader Sharad Yadav, Union Minister and LJP leader Ram Vilas Paswan and NCP leader Sharad Pawar among others
Parliamentary affairs minister Venkaiah Naidu, BSP's Satish Mishra and RJD's Prem Chand Gupta also attended the meet. Principal secretary to PM Nripendra Singh was also present.
Earlier, the home minister had informed chief ministers of West Bengal, Odisha, Punjab, Bihar and other states about the strikes.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...akistan-retaliation-/articleshow/54585921.cms
