As the first anniversary of surgical strikes conducted by Indian Army special forces draws nearer, the tension on the line of control (LoC) is palpable and the vigil tight. The soldiers of 4/1 Gorkha Rifles posted at Nowgam sector, which looks deep into the Leepa Valley in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, have their fingers firmly on the trigger.

"The orders are very clear. Everyone is supposed to maintain a 24x7 vigil and anyone attempting infiltration will be engaged and eliminated. Any Pakistani post trying to push through terrorists into our territory will be destroyed," a senior Army officer told India Today TV. "We are keeping our powder dry."

The commanding officer of Nowgam post, Colonel Sharang Pun, told India Today TV that the troops have now been deployed in an innovative manner (using a grid deployment) so that they can intercept the infiltrators.

"Our surveillance capabilities have improved significantly in the last few years with the inclusion of radars and sensors which help us monitor our area of responsibility very effectively and more accurately," Pun said.

On the LoC, the Pakistan Army posts are nearby but not much activity could be seen there. Indian troops also maintain a low profile while moving outside their bunkers.

During the night patrolling that India Today TV team took up with the troops, one could see that patrol party is adopting extra care and moving with eyes and ears open literally.

Intelligence inputs have suggested that Pakistan may try to avenge the killings of its soldiers by India, and may choose the first anniversary of the surgical strikes for the action.

Army officers said in the recent times, ground sensors, infra-red thermal imagers and battlefield surveillance radars have been deployed in a big way along the LoC, to improve the monitoring of any movement of terrorists.

INDIAN STANCE ON L.O.C NOW 'VERY AGGRESSIVE'

Officers also admit that after Gen Bipin Rawat took over as Army chief in January this year, the Indian stance on the LoC has also become "very aggressive" as they take direct shots at the Pakistani posts if they are seen aiding terrorists.

"Quick punitive action is taken in case Pakistanis violate ceasefire by firing at our posts, often to provide cover for terrorists trying to infiltrate. The action is so severe that it becomes difficult for the opposite posts to operate for a long time to come," said an officer posted on the LoC.

Due to the newly-adopted aggressive posture on the LoC, the morale of troops seems to be very high. The Gorkha troops that the India Today TV team interacted with sounded very confident.

"As our Army chief Gen Bipin Rawat has said, we will receive the terrorists in the reception area on our side and send them two-and-a-half feet below the ground," the troops said in the KB battalion area.

Already, two major BAT (Pakistani border action team) attempts have been foiled by the troops in the Keran and the nearby Uri sector.

In Uri, where four top Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorists were killed early this week, the attackers had come fully geared to carry out an attack similar to last year, when 19 soldiers were martyred. The Indian Army conducted the surgical strikes in retaliation to the dastardly attack.

The security forces this year have been successful in eliminating almost 160 terrorists along the LoC and the kills are likely to go up after the end of the apple season, which gets over by October 15.

VIDEO: Here's what Chief of Army Staff General Bipin Rawat said recently about last year's surgical strikes.