* India lodges strong protest with Pak
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Mar 3: Achie-ving a major success that has thwarted several fidayeen attacks and infiltration attempts by the militants from the International Border (IB), the Border Security Force (BSF) today detected over 300 meters long tunnel dug by Pakistani Rangers and militants from Pakistan to the Indian side at ‘Allah Mai De Kothe’ (AMK) post in RS Pura sector. The BSF has immediately lodged very strong protest with Pakistan over detection of tunnel right under the noose of Rangers with a view to facilitate infiltration attempts by the militants to carry out terror attacks on the Indian side.
“It was a fresh tunnel. It had been dug about 20 to 25 meters inside the Indian territory behind the fencing when our jawans detected it. The tunnel, which originated from near Pakistan’s Afzal Post opposite India’s AMK Post in RS Pura, was in the process of completion when the BSF exposed their plan,’’ IG BSF, Jammu Frontiers, Rakesh Sharma told the Excelsior after visiting the spot and inspecting site of the tunnel.
He said it was not possible for the BSF to detect how long the tunnel had been dug on Pakistan side but definitely it would be around 200 to 300 meters as it seems to have its entry point near Pakistan’s Afzal Post, which was located about 300 meters from the Indian side.
Sharma said it was during security audit of the International Border and anti-tunneling exercises undertaken along the border in Jammu sector that the BSF had pressed into service heavy machinery like tractors etc to clear ground of grown up grass.
“Pakistan was objecting to our efforts to clear grass as it was anticipating that the BSF would be able to detect the tunnel,’’ the Jammu BSF chief said, adding the BSF resisted the Pakistani attempts and went ahead with clearance operation during which the jawans with the help of machinery found a large hole that ultimately detected a big and fresh tunnel, which was in the process of making on the Indian side.
According to official sources, the BSF had been tracking tunnels all along the International Border following attacks by the fidayeens along the National Highway of Jammu-Pathankot, the latest one at Indian Air Force (IAF) base at Pathankot on January 2 in which seven security personnel and six militants were killed.
Prior to this, the militants had reportedly come from the International Border and targeted defence and police installations in Jammu and Punjab. After series of incidents, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had asked the BSF for detailed security audit of the IB in both the States.
Not ruling out presence of more such tunnels on the IB, the IG BSF said, they have stepped up efforts all along the IB by deploying technical experts and heavy machinery to find out more such tunnels having been dug towards the Indian side by Pakistan.
“We are not sparing any efforts (to detect tunnel) on the IB. If there are more, we will detect them,’’ he said describing detection of freshly dug tunnel at AMK Post in RS Pura sector as major success of the BSF as if not detected in time, Pakistan would have succeeded in pushing fidayeen and other militants inside the Indian territory.
Lauding the BSF jawans for detecting the tunnel well in time, Rakesh Sharma directly blamed Pakistan for construction of tunnel to facilitate infiltration attempt by the militants.
“The tunnel has been constructed from Pakistan side. It was a fresh tunnel and was in the process of making. It had been dug right under the nose of Pakistani Rangers on their side of the border,’’ he said, adding the BSF couldn’t say about length of the tunnel across the border but on the Indian side it was about 20 to 25 meters.
“Pakistani experts, aided and abetted by the Rangers, had dug the tunnel. There was no doubt about it. We have immediately lodged very strong protest with Pakistan for allowing their territory to be used for digging tunnel to facilitate infiltration by the militants,’’ Sharma said.
He added that Pakistan’s response was awaited.
Sources said Pakistan has told the BSF that it would check up all the facts and revert back to the BSF.
According to sources, the tunnel seems to have been originated from Pakistan’s Afzal Post, about 200 to 300 meters on Pakistan side from the International Border. “It had the entry point there but the exit point, which Pakistan had to dig on the Indian side, was not complete so far and the tunnel was detected well in time,’’ they said.
Sources said the BSF has cordoned off entire area and deployed its experts to go through the technology and technique used in digging the tunnel. However, preliminary investigations have revealed that it was a freshly dug tunnel and was in the process of being completed by Pakistan.
This was the third tunnel detected so far in Jammu region along IB and Line of Control (LoC).
The first tunnel, which was complete with exit point landing at Chichwal near Chalyari post of the BSF in Samba sector, about 400 meters long and originating from Pakistan, was detected on July 28, 2012 when a civilian saw the land caving-in at his field along the IB due to Monsoon rains.
The tunnel had been fitted with sophisticated equipments and had its origin at Pakistan’s Lumbriyal Post in Shakargarh area of Pakistan. It had been fitted with the equipments, which could help the militants pass a long time inside the tunnel.
Another tunnel was detected along the LoC near Chakla Post in Pallanwalla sector, about 50 meters inside the Indian territory on August 22, 2014.
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