Indian Army blows up Pakistan post, says much more to come'

New Delhi: The Indian Army on Tuesday claimed that it had carried out massive fire assaults across the Line of Control (LoC) and caused major damage to a Pakistan Army post. It released a 24-second video showing Indian bombs blowing up a Pakistani outpost near the Naushera sector in Jammu and Kashmir to smithereens.

The strike, the Army said, was a part of a counter-terrorism strategy and aimed at preventing terrorist infiltration aided by the Pakistan Army.

The post that was targeted is a known location that shelters militants and aids their infiltration into the Indian side, usually under cover of firing by the Pakistani Army.

Making a rare appearance on Tuesday, Major General Ashok K. Narula, who heads the additional directorate general of public information (ADGPI), told reporters, “As part of our counter terrorism operations, punitive fire assaults across the Line of Control (LoC) are being undertaken by the Indian Army”.

While the Army did not reveal operational details of the strike and the area of the operation was not clearly identifiable in the video clip, sources said the strike was carried out on May 9, nine days after two Indian security personnel were beheaded.

On May 1, two Indian soldiers were beheaded by a Border Action Team (BAT) of the Pakistani Army in the Krishna Ghati sector of Poonch.

“Pak Army,” he said, “has been providing support to armed infiltrators by engaging our forward troops from their weapon emplacements and pill-boxes closer to the Line of Control. At times they have not even hesitated to target villages in the proximity of Line of Control. As part of our counter-terrorism strategy and to ensure that infiltration is curbed and initiative remains with us, the Indian Army proactively dominates the Line of Control.” The ADGPI, under the directorate general of military intelligence, deals with media relations.

“We have done it and we will do it again. There is much more to come,” a top military source told this newspaper, indicating that more targeted assaults across the LoC can be expected.

While the Army denied that artillery guns were used in the assault, the video seemed to indicate that Automatic Grenade Launchers (AGL) and 105 mm guns fixed to discarded Vijayanta tanks may have been used.

Saying that infiltrations are likely to increase with the onset of summer that leads to melting of snow and opening of passes, General Narula referred to the recent incident in Naugam where four terrorists were neutralised on May 20-21.

Supporting Army’s action, defence minister Arun Jaitley tweeted: “Government supports the actions of Indian Army across LoC. Such actions are needed to ensure peace in J&K… Indian Army is taking preemptive and measured actions to counter terrorism in valley and disengage Pak posts across LoC supporting infiltration”.

Reacting to the development, Randeep Surjewala, Congress in-charge of communications, said: “We salute the valour and sacrifice of the Indian Army in Naushera sector as they have destroyed a Pakistan post which was assisting Pakistani terrorists to infiltrate”.

Meanwhile, Major General Asif Ghafoor, Director General of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), wrote on Twitter: “Indian claims of destroying Pakistani post along LoC in Naushera Sector and firing by Pakistan Army on civilians across LoC are false”.

India hits back at terror
On May 9, nine days after two Indian security personnel were beheaded, the Indian Army destroyed Pakistan Army’s posts across LoC. The posts were allegedly being used to aid infiltration.

Pakistan military spokesman Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor called India’s claim “false”

Stocks plummet after army hit
Sensex cracked over 100 points in minutes, while Nifty50 slipped below the psychological mark of 9,400 after the Indian Army claimed it had hit a Pakistan Army post.

Rising terror camps
There are about 55 active terror camps along the LoC in PoK. of these, about 20 have come up recently.

There has been a sudden spurt in infiltration attempts with at least 65 such incidents being reported since Jan this year.