Army gives stern warning to Pak Army

Indian Army would strongly take up the case of intrusion and gun-battle at the Sunderbani in Jammu and Kashmir with Pakistan Army in their weekly telephonic conversation on Tuesday.

A stern warning has already been issued to Pakistan besides asking the Pakistan Army to restrain the terrorists operating from its soil and take the bodies of two Pakistani intruders who were killed by the Indian soldiers in the northern state on Sunday after a fierce gun-battle that also took the lives of three Indian soldiers.

“It would be taken up sternly during the weekly telephonic interaction with Pakistan DGMO officials. A Brigadier-rank officer from the office of the Director General of Military Operation would convey the stern warning at a higher level to the Pakistan authorities,” Army sources said here.

On Sunday, three Indian Army soldiers were killed in what is suspected to be a Pakistan BAT attack in Sunderbani sector in Jammu and Kashmir. The intruders attacked Indian patrol team, which in retaliatory strike gunned down two Pakistan intruders. Two AK-47, ammunition and war-like stores were recovered.

“The intruders were wearing combat uniform. But their identity could not be ascertained. Pakistan Army has been informed through established communication channels to take over the bodies of the hostile Pakistani nationals,” Indian Army sources said here.

The request to take the two bodies was communicated by the local officers at Poonch using a local telephone link with the Pakistan camp. “But there is no response from Pakistan so far on the logs registered by us so far,” said an officer.

“Since the talks between the two DGMOs on May 29 (held at the behest of Pakistan), Indian Army has been maintaining utmost restraint to uphold the ceasefire along the Line of Control despite regular provocative actions from across,” said an officer.

“However, Pakistan Army has been vigorously attempting to send terrorists across the LoC. Since May 30, seven infiltration bids have been eliminated by the Indian Army in which 23 terrorists have been killed. Intelligence reports suggest concentration of large number of terrorists in the launch pads desperate to infiltrate before the onset of snow,” sources said.

The disputed border between India and Pakistan is a military hot zone that witnessed heavy exchanges of fire from both sides notwithstanding the ceasefire agreement between the two countries. Till October 22, there are 1211 instances of ceasefire violations by Pakistan as against 860 such cases in 2017.

The number of successful infiltration has gone up as a consequence. In 2018, there were 240 infiltration attempts out of which 116 were successful as against 23 successful infiltrations last year, out of 406 attempts.