Wednesday, October 12, 2016

DOES THIS SIGNALS A WAR AHEAD WITH PAK ? - Border outposts in India on alert after Pak red flags hostility - By Ravi Krishnan Khajuria

LoC, Naushera sector (Rajouri)|
  • Updated: Oct 11, 2016 07:06 IST
  • A soldier takes position near the Line of Control in Nowshera sector on Monday. (Nitin Kanotra/HT Photo)
    “Beware! Move inside trenches. They (Pak army) have hoisted red flags on their posts to indicate hostilities and a sort of warning that they can open fire on any unusual movement”, an Indian army officer tells scribes at the forward post here on Monday.
    Last Wednesday, Pak army had opened automatics weapons’ fire and shot mortars on this post, he adds.
    “Compelled by the circumstances we have also put up red flags to convey that we, too, will not be handling the adversary with soft hands,” he says.
    Following India’s surgical strikes on terror launch pads across the LoC in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK) on the intervening night of September 27 and 28, a mix of threat and tension appeared omnipresent, to both, India and Pakistan.
    Barely three kms away from the Indian post was a ridge that lies in PoK, which had Pakistani posts on a higher altitude.
    If Pakistan’s movement is restricted post-surgical strikes on their side of the de-facto border, the degree of alertness on the part of Indian army has also gone up by a few notches in the aftermath of the recent flare up.
    “Their (Pak troops) movement is now restricted somewhat (post-surgical strikes) and the degree of alertness on our part has increased. We are 24x7 alert and alive to the situation on the LoC but the degree of alertness has increased for obvious reasons,” says the officer.
    The adversary is cautious, alert, and so do we are. In fact, we remain in a state of readiness 24x7, he adds.
    “Threats (of hostile fire, truce violations, intrusions, BAT attacks, sniper fire) always exist on the LoC but we are alert round the clock and in the recent violations by them, we inflicted heavy casualties on adversary,” he responds to a query.
    Soldiers pumped
    With their fingers on triggers and eyes glued on the enemy via binoculars and other surveillance equipment, soldiers here say, “country comes first and then anything else including families back home”. “If the countrymen are happy on surgical strikes then we are too. The support of country gives us pride and their support bolsters our confidence to serve the motherland with utmost sincerity even at the cost of our life,” says a soldier.

    Indian army soldiers take position near the Line of Control in Nowshera sector on Monday. (Nitin Kanotra/HT Photo)


    Another responds, “Like everyone else we too have children and families back home but it is their support that we are guarding the borders here with firm resolve of not allowing Pakistan to succeed in its nefarious designs.”
    The soldiers here on the LoC have no fixed timings.
    “We relieve the duty only when another colleague takes over the charge,” he adds.
    (SOURCE : Hindustan Times)

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