Army chief reviews security in J&K amid firing along border

Army chief General Upendra Dwivedi on Friday reached Srinagar to review the security dynamics in Jammu and Kashmir, hours after the Pakistan Army opened small arms fire at several locations on its side of the volatile Line of Control (LoC), suspecting Indian soldiers may have crossed over to conduct operations following a severe escalation of hostilities in light of the April 22 terror strike near Pahalgam that killed 26 people, officials aware of the matter said.

The army chief’s visit assumes significance as it came after India announced a raft of retaliatory measures against Pakistan; military options are also being carefully considered to target the neighbouring country for its support to terror that is bleeding J&K. 

Dwivedi, who was briefed on the security situation by top officers, also assessed the army’s readiness to fulfill assigned missions.

Jammu and Kashmir lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha asked the army chief to take effective steps not only to bring those responsible for the Pahalgam terror attack to justice but also to intensify efforts to crush the infrastructure of terrorism and its ecosystem. During the discussion, Sinha said the nation had full faith in the bravery and valour of the army, police and paramilitary forces, and they must work in close synergy to identify perpetrators, enablers and overground workers of the killing. 

“Every perpetrator and supporter of the Pahalgam terror attack, whatever his location or affiliation, must be hunted and they must pay the heavy price for the cowardly and dastardly act against our citizens,” the LG told top army officials. The developments came two days after home minister Amit Shah visited the Valley and India unveiled a raft of punitive diplomatic measures against Pakistan, suspending the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty, downgrading bilateral ties, and shutting down the Attari checkpost, as it hit back at Islamabad over the brazen terror attack that killed 26 tourists. 

The speculative firing, or reconnaissance by fire, along LoC on Thursday night was carried out along almost the entire 740-km de facto border as local Pakistani commanders feared incursions by the Indian Army and sought to provoke a response that could confirm the presence of rival soldiers, said one of the officials, asking not to be named. 

The neighbouring army also violated the ceasefire along the LoC by bringing an Indian post under a hail of small arms fire, drawing a firm response from the army’s forward deployed forces at Tutmari Gali in north Kashmir, HT learnt.

There was no official word from the army on these developments.

The last time there was a ceasefire violation along LoC was in early April, but, the latest is significant as it signals an escalatory move by Pakistan Army after the Pahalgam attack.

India has made it clear that a muscular response to the latest attack, the worst on civilians in the restive region in nearly two decades, is in the offing and that’s why the Pakistan Army is running around like a headless chicken, said another official, who also asked not to be named.

Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said India will pursue terrorists to the ends of the earth, while defence minister Rajnath Singh warned Pakistan that India’s will soon strike back at not only those who carried out the horrific attack but also their handlers across the LOC.

“The Pakistan Army is rattled as its assessment seems to be that punitive operations will be carried out by India across the LoC. They know what happened after Uri and Pulwama (the cross-LoC raids and air strikes). We should hit back at the time and place of our choosing to ensure surprise, shock and make Pakistan pay a high cost for backing terror,” said Lieutenant General Vinod Bhatia (retd), a former director general of military operations.

New Delhi has also revoked all visas issued to Pakistani citizens and advised its nationals not to travel to that country.

The army chief’s visit came at a time when the security forces are still hunting for the Pakistan-backed terror squad that melted into mountain jungles after carrying out the brazen attack at Baisaran meadow near Pahalgam.

The terror strike signals an imminent change in counter-terror dynamics in J&K as the security forces are now likely to find themselves overstretched, with their role possibly no longer confined to stopping terrorist infiltrators coming from Pakistan and other duties in the hinterland but also working out a strategy to deal with attacks on vulnerable tourist destinations in the union territory.

The six kilometre mountain dirt track between Pahalgam town market and the meadow was not guarded by armed personnel and the closest thing to security for the tourists on the day of the attack were four unarmed guards from a cadre affiliated to the J&K Police, HT reported on Friday.

The rare, targeted strike put the spotlight on poor security at popular travel destinations in Kashmir and raised questions about arrangements made to secure the record numbers of tourists who visited the valley this year.