Srinagar (NVI): Pakistan is not happy with the peace returning to Kashmir as it wants to keep the pot boiling, a top Indian Army official said today as security forces killed 9 terrorists in two operations in less than 24 hours since Sunday.
At least 22 terrorists, including 6 top commanders, have been killed in the last two weeks in nine different operations in Kashmir, Director General of Police Dilbag Singh said.
Lt General BS Raju, Commander of Srinagar-based 15 Corps, said Pakistan has been attempting to push terrorists and weapons into Kashmir to generate violence in the valley.
His comment at a press conference came after security forces gunned down 4 terrorists in a four-hour long encounter in Pinjoora area of Shopian district. Earlier on Sunday, 5 terrorists were killed in Reban village of the same district in a nine-hour gunfight.
Lt Gen Raju said if there is anyone who is not happy with the peace returning to Kashmir that is Pakistan. “It is Pakistan’s larger game plan to keep the pot boiling in Kashmir. Contribution of our neighbour as far as violence in Kashmir is combination of two things—inducting weapons along the LoC (Line of Control) as part of infiltration or through various means at its disposal and then to push in the same weapons to Kashmir to generate violence and keeping the pot boiling in one or the other way,” the GoC said.
Talking about the two operations conducted since yesterday, Major General A Sengupta, Commander of Army’s Victor Force, said the Army, along with the state police, has been working extremely hard over the past few months to develop leads to neutralise terrorists who have been disrupting normal life of civilians in Kashmir, especially South Kashmir.
“These militants were coercing the population to give them shelter,” the General Officer Commanding of Victor Force said. He said an input was received yesterday morning about the presence of five militants in Reban village of Shopian and troops of 1 Rashtriya Rifles of Army swung into action.
“It was a congested built area and the challenge of ensuring no collateral damage remained there. Some 14 houses were evacuated. At 7 am, contact was established with the militants and after nine hours of fierce battle, they were killed,” he said. “There was no damage to civilian property,” he added.
Maj Gen Sengupta said last night again, a specific input was received from the police about presence of militants in Pinjoora area of Shopian. “These militants were involved in harassing the civil population, disrupt normal life and killing of non-local people, injuring truck drivers last year and also abducting the cops,” the GoC Victor Force.
He said in the four-hour-long operation at Pinjoora, four local militants were killed without any collateral damage in a four-hour long operation.
Lt General Raju, while congratulating the teams of Army, police and CRPF for the success, said both the operations were conducted without any collateral damage in areas where there was a fair amount of civilian population and where civilians were evacuated.
“This we have been able to do because of the professionalism of all agencies involved. The tactics used by the forces on ground are to ensure operations are conducted in a very professional manner,” he said.
“I would like to give the credit to local population for facilitating smooth anti-militancy operations,” the GoC 15 Corps added.
