Jammu: A 150-metre tunnel has been constructed along the International Border (IB) to facilitate infiltration of terrorists into Jammu and Kashmir from Pakistan. The cross-border tunnel detected by Border Security Force (BSF) personnel in Hiranagar sector of Kathua district Wednesday, officials said. This is the third cross-border tunnel unearthed by alert border guards in the twin districts of Samba and Kathua in Jammu region. This is the ninth such tunnel that has been found in the last decade
“A nearly 150-metre-long tunnel was detected by a BSF patrol party. They were conducting an anti-tunnelling operation in Bobiyaan village of Hirnagar sector this morning,” Inspector General of BSF, Jammu frontier, NS Jamwal told reporters at the scene. He along with other senior officers rushed to Bobiyaan soon after the detection of the tunnel.
“The opposite of this side is Pakistan’s Shakergarh which is notorious for having launch pads and bases of terrorists. We have inputs available with us as a result of that we are sensitive to whatever is happening here,” the BSF officer said. He asserted that all necessary measures are in place to counter Pakistani designs.
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Jamwal said sand bags with Pakistani markings are evidence of the hand of Pakistani establishment in the construction of this tunnel. This tunnel is identical to the previously detected one having a depth of 25 to 30 metre with two to three feet diameter. The entry to the tunnel was spotted about 300 feet from the zero line; about 65 feet from the fence on the Indian side,
The officer was asked whether this tunnel was recently dug or it’s an old one. He said it is a matter of investigation. However, he said some of the sand bags recovered from the tunnel have 2016-17 year of manufacture which suggest that it is an old tunnel.
“We were searching for this tunnel for a long time. Its detection was the effort of the anti-tunnelling operation which is underway all along the IB. Whether any infiltration had taken place through this tunnel in the past can be said after completion of our investigation,” Jamwal stated.
Jamwal, however, said the BSF is sure that no infiltration had taken place through this tunnel in the recent past. “We are undertaking some development works here and have strengthened the security in view of the anti-tunnelling drive,” he informed.
The discovery of the tunnels in the recent past, explains Pakistan’s desire to violate ceasefire. There were 930 ceasefire violations by Pakistan in 2020, a 54 per cent increase over the 605 instances the previous year.