http://www.firstpost.com/india/exclusive-as-pm-talked-peace-pak-grabbed-ghost-village-on-loc-1147267.html
As PM talked peace, Pak grabbed ghost village on LoC
Praveen Swami
Oct 2, 2013
Update: IBN7′s Khalid Husain has reported that Army sources said there is face to face firing going on as after the infiltration into Indian posts which were unmonitored for week. The report adds that Indian army launched operations using helicopter gunships. The posts were allegedly captured by men wearing Pakistan army uniform. The army has denied capturing anyone and says they have killed 22 infiltrators.
Even as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh met with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in New York, Indian troops were engaged in a murderous fight to clear Pakistani troops who have occupied a ghost village alone the Line of Control, highly placed military sources have told Firstpost. This is the first time since the 2001-02 near-war that Pakistani troops have held territory across the Line of Control, and comes as a ceasefire declared after that conflict unravels.
Fighting, the sources said, is still taking place in the village ofShala Bhata, where Pakistani irregulars and special forces personnel are using abandoned homes to fire on troops attempting to clear the area.
Lieutenant-General Gurmeet Singh, commander of the Srinagar-based XV corps, said earlier this week 12 terrorists had been killed in the fighting — a statement that was misreported and referred to a separate fidayeen strike on police and military installations in Samba. A spokesperson at army headquarters in New Delhi said he had no confirmation yet on Indian casualties.
“There’s no confirmation yet about who the infiltrators are”, the Delhi-based military spokespersonsaid, “but some of the bodies we’ve recovered are wearing uniforms, which is suggestive. More important, the tactics and disciplined use of firepower by the infiltrators show they are likely special forces personnel, not just infiltrators.”
The intrusion, the sources said, took place on the night of 23 September, taking advantage of gaps in patrolling which took place when troops of the 20 Kumaon regiment were handing over charge to the 3-3 Gurkha, during a routine rotation of troops. The intruders took cover in unoccupied
observation posts overlooking a nullah, or village stream, as well as abandoned homes.
Earlier this year, five Indian soldiers were executed in an ambush near Chakan-da-Bagh in Poonch, when the 21 Bihar were handing over charge of a stretch of the Sarla battalion area to the 14 Maratha Light Infantry. “This suggests the Pakistani army is carefully monitoring the Line of Control”,an intelligence official told Firstpost, “identifying weaknesses to stage strikes of opportunity”.
Shala Bhata, some 20 kilometres as the crow flies from the district headquarters at Keran, looks over the Kishanganga river, and is perched on a strategically-vital arc that overlooks Pakistan’s main line of communication to the northern stretches of the Line of Control.
In 1990, many inhabitants of the village’s 21-odd families left for Pakistan, fearing imminent fighting. They continue to live just across the Line of Control, in a hamlet also called Shala
Bhata. Pakistani troops have a small encampment just across the Line of Control. The remainder of the village’s inhabitants were evacuated from the area in 1999-1999, amidst intense Pakistani fire directed at adjoining Indian military positions.
The occupation of the ghost village of Shala Bhata began less than a week before Prime Minister Singh held talks with Prime Minister Sharif in New York. Their discussions centred around measures to deescalate tensions on the line of control. The two Prime Ministers ordered their Directors-General of Military Operations to hold talks to defuse growing tensions.
Pakistani troops last occupied positions on the Indian side of the Line of Control in July, 2002, taking Loonda Post— part of the same sector where fighting is now underway. India responded, on that occasion, by using eight Mirage 2000 aircraft to drop precision-guided bombs on to the four occupied bunkers. Following the air strike, troops supported by 155-millimetre howitzers retook the positions.
The daylight air assault, government sources told Firstpost, had been authorised at the highest political leavel, and were intended to demonstrate that India would not hesitate to escalate the conflict if provoked.
In earlier years, though, both armies frequently occupied posts vacated by their adversaries along the Line of Control, jockeying for tactical positional superiority. This would often lead to skirmishes and artillery exchanges.
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RELATED PLEASE :
http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/army-on-heavy-firing-along-line-of-control-by-pak-troops-highlights-426801
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FROM THE ARCHIVES PLEASE :
Praveen Swami
Oct 2, 2013
Update: IBN7′s Khalid Husain has reported that Army sources said there is face to face firing going on as after the infiltration into Indian posts which were unmonitored for week. The report adds that Indian army launched operations using helicopter gunships. The posts were allegedly captured by men wearing Pakistan army uniform. The army has denied capturing anyone and says they have killed 22 infiltrators.
Even as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh met with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in New York, Indian troops were engaged in a murderous fight to clear Pakistani troops who have occupied a ghost village alone the Line of Control, highly placed military sources have told Firstpost. This is the first time since the 2001-02 near-war that Pakistani troops have held territory across the Line of Control, and comes as a ceasefire declared after that conflict unravels.
Fighting, the sources said, is still taking place in the village ofShala Bhata, where Pakistani irregulars and special forces personnel are using abandoned homes to fire on troops attempting to clear the area.
Lieutenant-General Gurmeet Singh, commander of the Srinagar-based XV corps, said earlier this week 12 terrorists had been killed in the fighting — a statement that was misreported and referred to a separate fidayeen strike on police and military installations in Samba. A spokesperson at army headquarters in New Delhi said he had no confirmation yet on Indian casualties.
“There’s no confirmation yet about who the infiltrators are”, the Delhi-based military spokespersonsaid, “but some of the bodies we’ve recovered are wearing uniforms, which is suggestive. More important, the tactics and disciplined use of firepower by the infiltrators show they are likely special forces personnel, not just infiltrators.”
The intrusion, the sources said, took place on the night of 23 September, taking advantage of gaps in patrolling which took place when troops of the 20 Kumaon regiment were handing over charge to the 3-3 Gurkha, during a routine rotation of troops. The intruders took cover in unoccupied
observation posts overlooking a nullah, or village stream, as well as abandoned homes.
Earlier this year, five Indian soldiers were executed in an ambush near Chakan-da-Bagh in Poonch, when the 21 Bihar were handing over charge of a stretch of the Sarla battalion area to the 14 Maratha Light Infantry. “This suggests the Pakistani army is carefully monitoring the Line of Control”,an intelligence official told Firstpost, “identifying weaknesses to stage strikes of opportunity”.
Shala Bhata, some 20 kilometres as the crow flies from the district headquarters at Keran, looks over the Kishanganga river, and is perched on a strategically-vital arc that overlooks Pakistan’s main line of communication to the northern stretches of the Line of Control.
In 1990, many inhabitants of the village’s 21-odd families left for Pakistan, fearing imminent fighting. They continue to live just across the Line of Control, in a hamlet also called Shala
Bhata. Pakistani troops have a small encampment just across the Line of Control. The remainder of the village’s inhabitants were evacuated from the area in 1999-1999, amidst intense Pakistani fire directed at adjoining Indian military positions.
The occupation of the ghost village of Shala Bhata began less than a week before Prime Minister Singh held talks with Prime Minister Sharif in New York. Their discussions centred around measures to deescalate tensions on the line of control. The two Prime Ministers ordered their Directors-General of Military Operations to hold talks to defuse growing tensions.
Pakistani troops last occupied positions on the Indian side of the Line of Control in July, 2002, taking Loonda Post— part of the same sector where fighting is now underway. India responded, on that occasion, by using eight Mirage 2000 aircraft to drop precision-guided bombs on to the four occupied bunkers. Following the air strike, troops supported by 155-millimetre howitzers retook the positions.
The daylight air assault, government sources told Firstpost, had been authorised at the highest political leavel, and were intended to demonstrate that India would not hesitate to escalate the conflict if provoked.
In earlier years, though, both armies frequently occupied posts vacated by their adversaries along the Line of Control, jockeying for tactical positional superiority. This would often lead to skirmishes and artillery exchanges.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
RELATED PLEASE :
http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/army-on-heavy-firing-along-line-of-control-by-pak-troops-highlights-426801
Army on heavy firing along Line of Control by Pak troops: Highlights
The Army today said Indian troops were being "heavily engaged" by continuous firing from Pakistan, but denied that Pakistani troops had occupied a ghost village in Jammu and Kashmir along the Line of Control.
Lt Gen Gurmeet Singh, GOC 15 Corps today held a press conference in Srinagar where he gave details about the operation.
Here are the highlights:
Lt Gen Gurmeet Singh, GOC 15 Corps today held a press conference in Srinagar where he gave details about the operation.
Here are the highlights:
- Any violation of territorial integrity will never be accepted by us
- We have 5 soldiers who are injured but all stable ; there are no fatal casualties till now
- There were specialised troops
- We are prepared for such operations, this is our role; have faith in us.
- Dead bodies of militants are of no concern to us
- Rare for military commander to talks about any operation till it is complete
- There have been many rumours - that's not fair. Wait for the ops to be over, we'll share details with you
- I am singularly proud of my soldiers the way they have been fighting this nefarious and massive infiltration attempt
- Your soldiers, your Army is ready for any challenge
- My troops are in control of this area, it's absolutely absurd - no village or observation post taken
- Premature for me to comment in specific terms - but analysing methodology, this was a action-cum-infiltration by Border Action Teams or BAT; number of militants is very large and the way they've been fighting
- I am confident of my troops. Indian Army is working with commitment and professionalism
- This is an on-going operation and sharing inputs will impact my soldiers
- Why should I rush? Time is on my side. They have done this audacity to violate the LoC and we have taken them on
- Since I have already cordoned this area, we'll be able to carry on with the operation the way we want
- I find the suggestion that the Air Force is supporting us absurd
- We have a continuous process of change of units - even if there were a change of troops, there would be no dip in alert or preparedness
- Anti-infiltration obstacle system is excellent for the purpose it was put there
- I would not like to commit to a time frame, we would do it in a very deliberate way
- Remnants of militants are still holed up there, we are beginning the last phase of ops but will never try to hurry - be patient
- Retrieving the dead bodies of militants is of no consequence or importance to me. What is important is the firing that is coming needs to be eliminated
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FROM THE ARCHIVES PLEASE :
[PROPHETIC WORDS OF ARUN
SHOURIE :]
Third-class governance can’t give first-class response to terrorism
Aug 02, 2006
" - - - - - - -.
HENCE
The first thing that is required for standing up to what is in store can be put in the words that were used by a high-up in the present Government itself:
• The PM and others must see that this Government does not have the mandate to make any fundamental changes in our foreign policy, certainly not in our defence policy; that it does not have the mandate to take decisions that will jeopardise our country’s territory;
• They must give up the delusion that problems that it has not been possible to solve in 55 years can be solved by “out-of-the-box thinking” in five weeks;
• Individuals must give up the delusions of what has been rightly called “the Gujranwala School of Foreign Policy” —the delusion, namely, that while others have failed, I will succeed because I am manifestly more sincere, because I am from that part of the sub-continent.
Next, the Government must spell out what the ultimate solution is that it has in mind for Kashmir. It must share with the people and Parliament what is happening in talks around Round and other tables.
In the alternate, Parliament must insist that it be taken into confdence. Once the deed is done, it will be too late.
Parliament must also get Government to specify what it understands by “Self Rule”; by “making borders irrelevant”; by “autonomy” - is “the sky the limit” still?; by the proposals that are being bandied about — joint management for power, tourism, horticulture...
Most important, it must rescind the fatal concession it made in the April 2005 statement — that we will continue the “peace process” irrespective of terrorism.
And a final plea — to the media: report in detail what the “nationalist”, mainstream political leaders of J&K are saying in the Valley.
Unless the country is alerted now, obituaries will be all that will be left to pen.
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