A 150-metre long tunnel, which was recently discovered near a forward post along the Indo-Pak border in Jammu region’s sensitive Pallanwala sector, was apparently aimed at infiltrating terrorists, a Defence spokesperson said here on Tuesday.
“Having failed to infiltrate terrorists across the Line of Control in the Jammu Division, there was an attempt to construct a tunnel across the Line of Control (to facilitate infiltration)”, he said.
The tunnel, which was discovered on August 22, 2014, was approximately 130 to 150 metres in length along the Line of Control (LoC) and originated on the Pakistan side, spokesman said.
The tunnel was approximately 20 feet below ground level and was four feet high, he added.
A senior Army officer at Udhampur-based Northern Command headquarters felt that tunnel has been dug up with origin from Pakistan with a design probably to push in terrorists and carry out smuggling of weapons and drugs and narcotic substances to keep the pot of militants boiling.
However, we have not got any evidence in this regard so far, the officer said.
The alert Indian Army personnel deployed along the Line of Control in the sector thwarted the nefarious designs of the terrorists and prevented major terrorist incidents by discovering the tunnel before it could be completed, the spokesman said.
The alert area domination patrol of the Indian Army noticed a depression in the ground and after investigating the same with ground penetrating radar and other equipment, discovered the tunnel, he said.
Earlier, Defence Spokesman issued a handout on August 23, 2014 and said “On 22 Aug 2104, Army personnel deployed in Pallanwala Sector of Jammu District during routine patrolling found a tunnel approximately 50 metrers on Indian side of the Line of Control”.
“The dimensions of the tunnel is approx two and a half feet wide and three and a half feet high and is leading towards Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK)”, the Army had claimed at that point of time.
The Defence spokesman said that it appears to be an incomplete tunnel as no exit has been found on the Indian side.
The tunnel found near the Chakla post along LoC in Pallanwala sector, where there was an infiltration bid by armed militants in which one militant was killed and jawan lost his life on July 22, 2014.
As per the officials, Army troops had detected a tunnel in same area in 2008 also.
It may be recalled that on July 27, 2012, a Cross-border tunnel was detected after an area caved-in at two or three places due to rains near the BSF’s Chillayari Border Out Post (BOP) in Samba district of Jammu and Kashmir. “After the cave-in, the area was dug out to know the reason. But, the authorities were surprised to find a tunnel leading into Samba from Pakistan side.
The tunnel, with a dimension of 3x3-ft, was running between Chillayari BOP and Pakistan’s Numberiyal BOP. Dug at a depth of 25-ft below the ground level, it was 400-mt long on the Indian side.
“The tunnel, which seemed to be freshly constructed, had air supply through a 2-inch pipe,” he said adding “we are looking into all aspects.”
