SRINAGAR: The BSF and army have acknowledged that yesterday’s attack by Pakistan army’s notorious Border Action Team (BAT) on patrol party of troops at Krishna Ghati (KG) sector in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir as a pre-planned attack and said a brain storming will be done to revise Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to prevent such attacks in future.
Army has vowed to avenge the despicable act of Pakistani troops at an appropriate time.
“The Pakistani troops fired indiscriminately on two forward posts manned by BSF and army at KG sector in Poonch district yesterday morning. They also laid two ambushes,” Western Command BSF ADG Kamal Nayan Choubey told reporters in Jammu, winter capital of the State.
He said the BAT attack inside this side of LoC took place during this firing process.
“The BAT comprising Pakistani regulars and highly trained militants killed two security personnel and mutilated their bodies. A BSF jawan Rajinder Singh was also injured in the attack and is undergoing treatment at army hospital in Udhampur,” Choubey said.
Sources in army said they took the firing and mortar shelling by Pakistani troops on two of their posts as normal ceasefire violation to facilitate infiltration of militants.
“There were also inputs that Pakistani troops had laid landmines in our territory. When the joint patrol of army and BSF went to assess the situation, the BAT team, which had already sneaked into some 200 meters inside our territory and had laid an ambush, attacked them with sharp edged weapons and small arms. They killed an army JCO and a BSF head constable and injured another jawan. They mutilated bodies of the slain security personnel,” they said.
The BSF ADG said there was element of surprise in the BAT attack. “It was a surprise attack”.
Asked what would be done to prevent such attacks in future, he said, “There will be brain storming discussion between army and BSF officials on the incident. We will come out with a revised SOP to prevent such incidents in future”.
The BAT attack took place a day after Pakistan army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa visited his troops along the LoC in Hajipir sector of Pakistan administered Kashmir (PaK).
It was the second incident of mutilation of bodies of security personnel by BAT members in six months.
Earlier, in November last year, Pakistan army’s BAT had attacked a patrol party of army in Machil sector in Kashmir killing three soldiers and mutilating body of one of them.
Sources in army said that the attack will be avenged.
“We will take our revenge at the appropriate time. There is element of surprise in such attacks and we would not disclose our strategy in media,” they said adding just like surgical strikes caught Pakistan troops unaware, the response to yesterday’s dastardly act will also catch troops of neighbouring country unaware.
“We will strike at our own will and timing,” they said.
The BSF DIG warned that militant launch pads are active on other side of LoC and IB.
He, however, said the troops are ready to foil infiltration attempts of militants.
“No single incident of successful infiltration has taken place along the IB guarded by the BSF this year,” Choubey said.
According to army sources, the vigil along the LoC and IB has been further intensified after yesterday’s BAT attack and apprehensions that militants may attempt to infiltrate into J&K as snow in upper reaches has started to melt.
Meanwhile, a wreath laying ceremony was organised in Jammu today to honour Naib Subedar Paramjit Singh and Head Constable Prem Sagar of BSF killed in BAT attack in KG sector yesterday.
42-year-old Naib Subedar Paramjit Singh of Tarn Taran, Punjab is survived by wife Paramjeet Kaur while 45-year-old Head Constable Prem Sagar of Takenpur, UP is survived by wife, Ms Gyanti Devi, two sons and two daughters.