Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Dec 29: In a major security lapse, a Pakistani national was staying in extreme forward village along the International Border (IB) at Hariya Chak in Hiranagar sector for last two and a half years and the Border Security Force (BSF) arrested him last night after he was trying to escape back to Pakistan. A Gujjar, who had given shelter to the Pakistani national, was absconding.
Official sources said the Pakistani national was putting up at same Hariya Chak village, where three fidayeens had first been spotted on the morning of September 26 before launching twin terror attacks at Hiranagar police station in Kathua district and Mehsar Army camp in Samba district in which 10 persons including eight security personnel and two civilians were killed. Army had eliminated all three fidayeens.
They identified the Pakistani national, arrested by the alert BSF jawans on the IB last night, as Mohammad Imran son of Gaffar Ahmad, a resident of village Jalochak in Sahiwal district of Pakistan. Hassan Din alias Noon son of Alam Din, a Gujjar putting up at village Hariya Chak, located close to the IB in Hiranagar sector of Kathua district, who had given shelter to the Pakistan national, was at large.
Sources said the BSF soldiers spotted movement near their posts at Hariya Chak along the IB at around 11.30 pm and became alert. They observed a civilian trying to move towards Pakistan and asked him to surrender. He was immediately taken into custody.
The Pakistani boy disclosed his identity to the BSF as Imran Khan and narrated that he was putting up in the ‘kullah’ of a Gujjar at Hariya Chak in Hiranagar sector for past two and a half years. He reportedly claimed that he had inadvertently crossed into this side when he was a teen-ager and had been staying in the ‘kullah’ of Hassan Din alias Noon since then.
Police arrested Hassan Din this evening and was cross examining both Pakistan national as well as the Gujjar to ascertain their involvement, if any, in the militancy.
The Pakistani boy has, however, claimed that he was returning to Pakistan as the Gujjar had been subjecting him to very hard work and he was tired up. However, BSF and police were not taking the matter lightly especially when the Pakistani boy was putting up at the forward village, where three fidayeens had first been spotted in the morning of September 26 before carrying out twin terror attacks.
“Indeed, it was a major security lapse especially when police had subjected entire Hariya Chak and surrounding villages to massive searches after September 26 terror attacks. However, the Pakistani national remained untraced. Even Noon Gujjar, who had given shelter to the Pakistani, hadn’t disclosed to police the nationality of the youth,” sources said, adding that police was now planning to conduct fresh searches in the ‘kullahs’ of Gujjars to ensure that no more Pakistani nationals were hiding there.
Sources said police have registered cases against both Pakistani national as well as Gujjar for further investigations. The Pakistani national was likely to be sent to the Joint Interrogation Centre (JIC) for questioning to ascertain whether he had any links with the militants.
Sources admitted that it was a major security risk that a Pakistani national was putting up right on the International Border for two and a half years without being noticed by any security and Intelligence agencies or police, which claimed to have been maintaining a very high alert on the borders especially in the wake of September 26 fidayeen attacks and ahead of next year’s Lok Sabha and Assembly elections.
It may be mentioned here that three fidayeens, who had carried out terror attacks at Hiranagar police station and Mehsar Army camp on September 26, had first been spotted at same village Hariya Chak in Hiranagar sector. They had killed four police personnel and two civilians at Hiranagar and four Army personnel including a Lieutenant Colonel at Mehsar Army camp before the troops gunned them down in their camp.
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