SRINAGAR: BSF on Tuesday claimed to have arrested a retired Pakistan army soldier from the International Border (IB) along Samba district of Jammu and Kashmir.
“The BSF men noticed suspicious movement on Pakistan side near the border fence along IB in Ramgarh sector of Samba district last evening,” a BSF official in Jammu told Express.
He said the border guards fired some rounds after noticing suspected movement. “However, due to heavy fog and wild growth, it could not be observed what this suspected movement was”.
"Later, at some distance at about 1 am, an alert BSF men on naka duty again observed suspicious movement ahead of border fence on this side of IB,” the official said.
He said the intruder was forced to surrender and arrested by the border guards.
The official said during questioning the intruder identified himself as Mohammad Baksh son of Firoz-ud-Din Baksh R/o Gandyal village, Sialkote of Pakistan’s Punjab province.
He said Baksh, 65, has told them that he is a retired Pakistan army soldier.
The questioning of the arrested Pakistani national is going on, the official said.
The BSF and army are on highest mode of alertness along the IB and Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir in view of escalation in border skirmishes between Indian and Pakistani troops after conducting of surgical strikes by army on militant launch pads across the LoC on the intervening night of September 28/29.
Earlier, on September 23, BSF had arrested 32-year-old Pakistani national Abdul Qayum near the IB in Pragwal Sector of Akhnoor area of Jammu district.
He had told interrogators that in 2004, he underwent 'Daura-e-Aam' militant training with LeT outfit at Mansera training camp in Muzaffarabad in Pakistan administered Kashmir (PaK).
On September 21, army and BSF in a joint operation near LoC in Uri sector in Kashmir had arrested two PaK citizens, who were allegedly acting as guides for Jaish-e-Mohammed militant group.
One of them identified as Faisal Hussain Awan son of Gul Akbar of Pottha Jahangir, PaK had later identified one of the attackers involved in September 18 deadly attack on Army base at Uri as a PaK resident.
19 soldiers were killed in the militant attack on army base, which prompted army to conduct surgical strikes on militant launch pads across the LoC 10 days after the attack.