Terror attack from Pak via sea possible, Navy sounds alert along coast

india

Updated: Jun 12, 2020 20:10 IST

Indian Navy is on high alert in anticipation of a possible terror strike through 7514 km coastline in the wake of Parliament stripping Jammu and Kashmir of its special status and splitting the state into two Union Territories, senior officials who didn’t want to be named said.

“We are on a state of heightened alert on the eastern and western seaboards,” the official said.

In addition, surveillance through radars along the coast and assets have been positioned at critical points to keep a watch, the officer said.

Indian intelligence has reported movement of terrorist like Rauf Azhgar, brother of terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed Masood Azhar, to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in recent days.

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Rauf Azghar’s shifting closer to the border between the two neighbours ties in with reports emanating from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir about a large number of Jaish recruits shifting from its camps in Punjab towards the border.

The agencies have also warned about a possible terror attack in the hinterland outside of J&K.

Officials also point to Pakistan Army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa statement, reacting to India scrapping Kashmir’s special status, pledging that the army was “prepared and shall go to any extent to fulfill its obligations” to people of Kashmir.

India already has a functional chain of coastal radars and Joint Operations Center (JOC) that are connected to the Gurugram-based Information Management and Analysis Center (IMAC).

In 2008, 10 Pakistan-based terrorists had slipped into Mumbai killing 163 people including foreigners and injured 300 people in terror attacks that targeted hotels, railway station and even a hospital.

Separately, the Navy has also asked the government to immediately fit the “friend or foe” tracking system on fishing boats that are smaller than 20 meters. India has 2.5 lakh such fishing boats.

In 2008, Pakistani terrorists had hijacked an Indian boat in the mid- sea to reach Mumbai shore undetected.