New Delhi, Sep 14 : The Army has intensified its presence along the Line of Control (LoC) following Pakistan’s direct and indirect threats of war ever since Parliament withdrew special status to Jammu and Kashmir by reading down Article 370 of the Constitution.
On Saturday, the Commander of Army’s Northern Command, Lieutenant General Ranbir Singh, reviewed security preparedness along the LoC in the light of military threat from Pakistan. Prior to Singh, the Army chief General Bipin Rawat had also visited the valley to review India’s preparedness at the LoC.
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has been aggressive against India over the political developments in Jammu and Kashmir accusing India of resorting to human rights violations in the valley after imposing a communication blockade. Pakistan has also been trying to drum up international support against India in its rhetoric on Kashmir.
A day after the historic decision on Jammu and Kashmir on August 5, Imran Khan had made veiled references to a possible war with India while addressing a joint session of Pakistan National Assembly.
“Attacks like Pulwama are bound to happen again. I can already predict this will happen. They will attempt to place the blame on us again. They may strike us again, and we will strike back, what will happen then? Who will win that war? No one will win it and it will have grievous consequences for the entire world. This is not nuclear blackmail,” Khan had said.
Khan reiterated his veiled threats about a possible war with India to a Doha-based news channel (Al Jazeera) on Saturday.
“Pakistan would never start a war, and I am clear: I am a pacifist, I am anti-war, I believe that wars do not solve any problems, (But) when two nuclear-armed countries fight, if they fight a conventional war, there is every possibility that it is going to end up into nuclear war. The unthinkable,” said Khan.
In the first week of September, Pakistan moved a brigade-sized force to a location 30 kms away from the LoC within its own territory as was reported by the Army quoting intel sources. The troops numbering around 2,000 soldiers have been placed at the Bagh and Kotli sector opposite PoK in Pakistan.
India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh was recently on a two-nation tour of East Asia during which he made India’s stance clear about its response to any military misadventure by Pakistan.
“India has never been an aggressor in its history nor will it ever be. But that does not mean that India would balk at using its strength to defend itself,” Singh said in South Korea.
Pakistan has been accused of playing a double-pronged game in trying to rake up international support against India over the Kashmir issue while at the same time aiding infiltrators to cross over the LoC to enter Indian territory.
Security sources have assessed that at least 40 to 50 trained militants have crossed over into India ever since abrogation of Article 370 on August 5.
It is also estimated that around 200 to 250 trained militants are waiting to sneak into India as outfits like Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba have activated terror launch pads along the LoC.
–IANS
