Situation still live on LoC: IAF chief Arup Raha

UAVs sighted close to India-Pakistan border, says BSF.

Tension continued to prevail along the LoC with both the paramilitary and armed forces remaining on high alert. The BSF on Tuesday claimed that it had sighted UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) movement “very close to the Indo-Pak border in the recent past,” and the Indian Air Force chief Arup Raha reiterated that the situation remains “live”.

“We have noticed UAVs coming 100 metres upto the border... Maybe they (Pakistani forces) want to check our preparedness, but I can assure you that we are fully capable of giving a befitting reply and will not allow any nefarious design of terrorists to succeed,” BSF director-general K.K. Sharma said.

Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha also said that the situation at the LoC is “very sensitive and things are still live.” The IAF chief, while asserting that the forces were on high alert, added, “We are having active engagement (with Pakistan) at the LoC and we are receiving shelling from the other side.”

It may be recalled that surgical strikes were conducted in locations across PoK targeting terror launchpads on the intervening night of September 28 and 29.

Admitting that the January attack on Pathankot airbase was a “setback”, Air Chief Marshal Raha, also the chairman of the Chief of Staff Committee, said that all airmen are being trained to counter terror attacks and that a proposal for hi-tech protection of airbases across the country was with the government. “The focus is on improving content and quality of the training to take on terrorists,” he said.

On January 2, heavily-armed militants had breached the security perimeter of the vital Pathankot airbase before being neutralized by commandos after a prolonged fight.

The IAF chief, before addressing the annual press conference before Air Force Day on October 8, made it clear that he was not willing to take any questions on the surgical strikes because of the “sensitive” nature of the issue. Incidentally, sources said, all entertainment programmes relating to the Air Force Day functions have been scrapped.

The IAF is in a state of high alert with the activation of the Passive Air Defence/Ground Defence (PAD/GD) procedures. PAD/GD details the manning of the base and protection of high-value assets, bomb disposal, management of water and electricity, casualty evacuation, etc.

The Pathankot IAF base attack followed by an attack at the Uri army base on September 18 exposed the chinks in the security apparatus of the forces. India’s surgical strikes were in response to the Uri attack which claimed the lives of 19 soldiers.

Increased shelling and light artillery fire has been continuing along the LoC after the surgical strikes where, according to sources, Indian forces have claimed to kill at least 38 militants waiting to infiltrate into the India side.