Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Feb 5: Army today said that troops were on high alert along the Line of Control (LoC) and wouldn’t allow any untoward incident to happen. Army maintained that Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) were working between two sides of the LoC.
Speaking to some reporters on the sidelines of closing ceremony of 2012-13 eye camp held under ‘Operation Sadbhavana’ at Akhnoor, General Officer Commanding (GOC), Cross Swords Division (10 Div headquartered at Akhnoor) this morning, Maj Gen Rustam Patnaik said that troops are maintaining a very high alert along the LoC with Pakistan.
“We will not allow any incident to happen along the LoC”, he said, adding that the troops were maintaining a strict vigil on the LoC.
“Our jawans are fully alert on the LoC”, Maj Gen Patnaik maintained.
He was replying to questions on the situation along the borderline in the backdrop of beheading of two Army jawans by Pakistan troops in Mankote area of Poonch sector on January 8.
Maj Gen Patnaik said the CBMs were working (between the two sides of LoC) and Army was carrying out routine activities.
Replying to another question about the posture and body language of Pakistani troops after the incident of beheading, he said: “we cannot see their body language, we can only see them through binoculars.”
Worthwhile to mention here that Pakistan Army had beheaded two Indian Army jawans at Mankote in Poonch sector on January 8 and took away the head of Lance Naik Hem Raj with them.
Reliable sources, meanwhile, said that no incident has been reported on the LoC in Jammu region including twin border districts of Poonch and Rajouri after Directorate Generals of Military Operations (DGMOs) level talks between India and Pakistan over the beheading incident last month.
“No ceasefire violation has been reported on the LoC after the DGMOs level talks”, sources said, adding that this has restored confidence among the people putting up in forward areas of the LoC, who had been feeling scared after tensions escalated between the two sides in the aftermath of killing of two Army jawans brutally by the Pakistani troops.
Even on the International Border (IB) in Jammu sector, no ceasefire violation has been reported after the talks, they said.
Sources said near normalcy was prevailing along the LoC and IB as infiltration attempts have also ceased during the past few days.
However, the sources were of the view that there was still heavy presence of militants across the LoC and IB but they might have been asked by the Pakistani troops not to try intrusion bids at this time.
“Presence of the militants at launching pads on Pakistan side has not gone down but definitely, they (the militants) were not trying to infiltrate at present-may be under the pressure of Pakistan Army, which was on back foot after the killing of two Indian Army jawans”, sources said.
Meanwhile, bringing medicare facilities at the doorsteps of the people of remote border belt of Akhnoor, Army today distributed spectacles among patients as a step to build-up relations with the local population.
Maj Gen Patnaik distributed the spectacles among 30 patients at the closing ceremony of 2012-13 eye camp held under Operation Sadbhavna at Akhnoor.
This was a small step towards building close relationship with the people of the country, the Maj Gen said.
“We always engage in programmes which help us in coming closer to the local population. The purpose of this eye camp was to provide medical care to poor people who live in far-flung areas and cannot avail the medical facilities. We thought why not to help these people and that was the reason why we organised this eye camp,” Maj Gen Patnaik said.
“This is a small step and we wish to build such relations with the people that whenever they are in need we can help them and whenever we require their support they can help us,” he said.
Earlier in November, last year, eye specialist and anesthetist at military hospital here had screened more than 100 patients for cataract surgery.
All required laboratory investigations were carried out free of cost and 30 patients were short listed for surgery.
The patients were then successfully operated on December 11 and 12 at Jammu military hospital, an army official said.
Meanwhile, Maj Gen Patnaik said that they were looking forward to make contributions for the development of girl child in the months ahead.
“This year we want to work particularly for the development of girl child and for the development of youth. If we can contribute for the girl children I believe that will be the real Sadbhavna,” he added.
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