‘500 militants waiting to sneak into Kashmir’

PTI

New Delhi/Jammu

Indian security forces have been given full freedom to effectively deal with any infiltration bid along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir following inputs that around 450-500 well-trained terrorists are waiting at terror launch pads to sneak into the valley as part of Pakistan’s design to trigger unrest, military sources said on Monday.

Some of the terrorists waiting to infiltrate into India were trained at the Jaish-e-Mohammad camp in Balakot which was bombed by the Indian Air Force in February,  the sources said.

Army chief General Bipin Rawat on Monday said Pakistan has reactivated the Balakot terror camp very recently. The sources said a large group of terrorists are waiting at the terror

launch-pads in Lipa valley on the Pakistani side.

According to intelligence inputs, Pakistan-based terror groups are likely to target vital installations in several key cities.

“Around 450-500 terrorists are waiting at the terror launch pads along the LoC in PoK,” said a source.

They said Pakistan’s plan is to create unrest in Kashmir with an aim to project to the international community that the situation in the valley is deteriorating after India decided to withdraw special status of Jammu and Kashmir.

The sources said the Army remains on high alert and has been given full freedom to deal with any security challenge “effectively”.

The Army on Monday recovered over 40 kg of explosives in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua district and the agencies are probing possible terror angle, officials said.

On a specific information, the Army troops launched a search operation and raided a house of one Khalil in Dewal village of Malhar belt in Billawar tehsil, an officer said.

As Khalil’s wife saw the approaching troops, she tried to take the two bags carrying gunpowder explosives out of the house but was caught, he said.

The bags weighing 20 kg each were seized, he added.

The Army was keeping a close watch on the activities of Khalil for some time, the officer said.

One person has been detained and is being questioned about the recovery, he added.