No Need To Add, Recall Troops From Line Of Control: Army Officer

The Indian Army is vigilant and won't allow any infiltration into Jammu and Kashmir, a senior Army officer said, adding, there is no need to add or reduce troops deployed at the Line of Control (LoC) in J&K.

Speaking to reporters at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC) after the send-off ceremony for 300 students from Jammu and Kashmir who will attend various courses in the Mewar University in Rajasthan under Operation Sadbhavana, General officer Commanding (GoC) of the Srinagar-based 15 Corps Lt General DP Pandey said terrorists across the border will try to make last-ditch efforts to infiltrate into India before the onset of winter.

"This is a last-ditch opportunity for our inimical agents (across the LoC) to ensure that they can push terrorists and terrorist groups. We have been getting inputs. There have been two infiltration attempts in the Uri and Rampur sectors, which were not only foiled but terrorists were killed and eliminated.

"The inputs will keep on coming and I can assure you that we are absolutely vigilant on the LoC. We will not allow any infiltrators to come through. One or two who will come through will be eliminated with the help of the people on Kashmir inside the Kashmir valley," Lt General DP Pandey said.

He said counter-infiltration measures are already in place along the LoC and there is no need for additional forces or lessening their numbers to check infiltration attempts.

"I do not think that there is a requirement to push in more forces or take out any (from the LoC). I have got enough forces to ensure it (stop infiltration)," the GoC said.

Referring to the recent encounters between security forces and terrorists, the senior Army officer said that operations going on over the last few days are standard and based on intelligence and not connected to the spike in civilian killings by terrorists.

"The operations here have been going on for the last few days. This is the standard process of operations based on intelligence. So I would not like to connect it to any events before or after," he said.

Lt General DP Pandey said while there has not been an increase in the number of attacks, Pakistan is pulling the levers from across the LoC in a bid to disturb the communal harmony in the valley.