Pak’s Infiltration Continues: India Has These 3 Options to Strike Back | Exclusive from Govt Sources

After Saturday’s foiled infiltration bid, top government sources told CNN-News18 that the Government of India (GoI) has various options to retaliate.

“These infiltrators can’t be launched without the support of Pakistan army because these sectors are all manned and controlled by them. These heavily trained terrorists are sent, with support fire, deep inside the jungle. They are experts in ambush," said sources.

THE THREE OPTIONS

The options listed by the top government sources:

1. Ending ceasfire: “We have the option of ending ceasefire with immediate effect to save our borders," sources said. “Pakistan economy is doing very badly and their interior ministry has to pay huge LoC maintenance charge to the Defence Ministry."The India-Pakistan joint statement of February 25, 2021 agreed for “strict observance of all agreements, understandings and cease firing along the Line of Control and all other sectors with effect from midnight 24/25 February 2021".
2. Attack on launching camps: “We can attack their launching camps where these infiltrators are sitting and breach their territory to save our interests," sources added.In exclusive information accessed by News18 earlier, Pakistan has shifted all its terror camps and launch pads near LoC to increase infiltration in the area. These terror camps have recruits from Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) and Hizbul Mujahideen, sources told News18. The route maps, accessed by News18, show infiltrators using multiple entry routes to avoid any incident of firing by the Indian security forces. According to new intelligence input accessed by News18, all launch pads have trained terrorists, who are directly managed by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence.
3. Merger of PoK and Gilgit-Baltistan: People of the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan have been asking for merger with India and their voice can be supported. Earlier this month, thousands of Pakistanis took to the streets of Gilgit-Baltistan to protest the arrest of Shia cleric Agha Baqir al-Hussaini under the country’s blasphemy laws. The protesters are allegedly threatening the Pakistani administration that they want a merger with India if their leader is not released. According to sources, people in Gilgit-Baltistan have been ruing being “left behind" in development, and crying over the “lack of facilities". “We have to risk our lives for small things," is the refrain among the protesters.

“The Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government has a majority mandate and is in a position to take any extreme step. No option can be ruled out and we are ready for anything once our political masters are convinced," sources added.

WHAT HAPPENED ON SATURDAY?

Security forces foiled on Saturday an infiltration bid in Baramulla district and neutralized three terrorists, while the Pakistan Army was giving cover fire and targeting quadcopters of the Indian Army.

Meanwhile, the operation against terrorists in Kokernag area of Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag district entered the fifth day on Sunday, with security forces encircling the hilly forest area. Security forces have been chasing the terrorists, believed to be two or three in number, since Wednesday, the day when Commanding Officer of the 19 Rashtriya Rifles Colonel Manpreet Singh, Major Ashish Dhonchak, Deputy Superintendent of Jammu and Kashmir Police Humayun Bhat and a soldier lost their lives in the operation.