Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Oct 12: The Army would be devising a strategy at its top Commanders’ meeting in New Delhi, beginning October 21 in New Delhi, to thwart repeat of Keran like intrusions and counter infiltration attempts along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir which, it believed, were likely to go up ahead of Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in the State.
Top official sources told the Excelsior that four days Army conference would be attended among others by top Army Commanders from Jammu and Kashmir including Northern Army Commander Lt Gen Sanjiv Chachra and General Officers Commanding (GOCs) of all Corps.
The Top Army Commanders would meet in New Delhi for four days from October 21 in the presence of Army chief Gen Bikram Singh. Defence Minister AK Antony was likely to inaugurate the conference and address it if he was fully fit by then as he had recently undergone prostate surgery.
Sources said among a host of issues the recent incursions by the militants in Keran sector of the Kashmir Valley, escalated tensions along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir including twin border districts of Poonch and Rajouri and fidayeen attack at Mehsar Army camp at Samba were likely to figure prominently in the meeting.
The Commanders would debate steps required to counter the infiltration attempts along the LoC—be they like Keran in which a big group of 30 to 40 militants had tried to enter into the Indian side or like Poonch and Rajouri districts, where tensions had escalated between Indo-Pak troops with almost regular firing and shelling since August 5. Army had reports that under the cover of firing, Pakistani troops were trying to push infiltrators inside the Indian territory.
Sources said GOC 16 Corps (Nagrota) Lt Gen DS Hooda, GOC 15 Corps (Srinagar) Lt Gen Gurmit Singh, GOC 14 Corps (Leh) Lt Gen Rakesh Sharma and GOC 9 Corps (Yol Cantonment, Himachal Pradesh) Lt Gen P Bakshi were likely to attend the conference of the Commanders among others from different parts of the country.
Apart from situation along Pakistan frontiers in Jammu and Kashmir, the Army Commanders would also debate the recent incursions by People’s Liberation Army (PLA) of China in Leh. Though during past quite sometime, there had been no reports of Chinese incursions in Leh, the Indian Army would debate upgradation of infrastructure on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) along China in Leh and other parts of the country.
During past over an year, a number of Chinese incursions have been reported in Leh, the longest being in Daulat Beg Oldie sector in April this year in which the PLA jawans had intruded deep inside the Indian territory. The standoff was resolved before the visit of External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid to China.
Sources said the Army Commanders would debate situation post withdrawal of United States and NATO troops from Afghanistan, which the security experts believed could turn some of the dreaded militants towards India especially Jammu and Kashmir.
The United States and NATO planned to withdraw their troops from Afghanistan in the next few months. This, the security experts opined, could give free hand to the active militant groups in Afghanistan to cross into Pakistan and then India including Jammu and Kashmir.
“The activities of Pakistan Army’s Special Force, which had been indulging in hit and run actions along the LoC and measures to counter them would also come up for a special discussion,’’ sources said. The Special Force had been responsible for killing of five Indian Army jawans in Sarla battalion area on August 5 and two soldiers at Mankote on January 8 this year.
Sources said the Army believed that level of infiltration could go up in future and troops would devise a strategy to counter them.
The Army would also devise a strategy to prevent recurrence of Mehsar (Samba) like fidayeen attacks on its camps in which four soldiers including Second in Command of the Unit Lt Col Bikramjeet Singh were killed on September 26. The Army had eliminated all three fidayeens. There had been reports that the militants could target more security installations.
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