New Delhi: India has gone into a high alert mode to prevent any retaliation from Pakistan to Thursday’s surgical strikes by special forces and CNN-News18 has learned that the Western Command of Indian Army has cancelled all leaves of its personnel.
In Punjab, which shares a long border with Pakistan, all villages within 10 km of the International Border are being evacuated.
The Punjab government has issued instructions through video conferencing to all deputy commissioners of border districts and has sanctioned Rs 1 crore each to set up camps for evacuees in Fazilka, Ferozepur, Tarntaran, Amritsar, Gurdaspur and Pathankot districts.
The famous Beating the Retreat ceremony at the Wagah border near Amritsar and the ceremony at the Hussainiwala border in Ferozepur stand cancelled keeping escalating tensions in mind.
According to reports from Srinagar, villagers living near the LoC are moving to safer places anticipating more cross-border firing.
Union Home minister Rajnath Singh is expected to visit Jaisalmer in Rajasthan on October 7 to review the border situation in the Thar desert.
Meanwhile, a PTI report said, "cross-LoC trade continued in Uri despite the tension. On Thursday, 26 trucks from India crossed over, while 10 from Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir came in."
In Punjab, the state government has opened up flood relief centres and identified schools in bigger villages 10 km away to accommode the evacuees in case of any military action from Pakistan.
Farmers who were working across the fencing at the border have already been evacuated after the alert by civil administration and Border Security Force (BSF).
The government has also asked people to construct bomb shelters and bunkers. They have been told to be cautious and take shelter in bunkers in case of an attack. Emergency wards in all civil hospitals near the border have also been kept ready to face any crisis.
India and Pakistan share a 3,323 km-long border, including the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu & Kashmir.
On Thursday afternoon, the MEA called in envoys of 22 major nations for a briefing by Foreign Secretary S Jayashankar on the situation at the LoC.
Comments
0 comment