A cache of terrorist hardware, including grenades and Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) were recovered from a forest area in Punjab, in a crackdown on terror outfits in the wake of escalating India-Pakistan tensions after the Pahalgam attack.
Two rocket-propelled grenades, two IEDs, five P-86 hand grenades and one wireless communication set were recovered in a joint operation, marking a major breakthrough against cross-border terror networks backed by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).
Preliminary probe indicates a coordinated operation by the ISI and allied terror outfits to revive sleeper cells in Punjab, per the state’s Director General of Police.
Cross-border tensions rose after a terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam on April 22 led to the death of 26 civilians. Lashkar E Taiba-affiliated The Resistance Front took responsibility for the attack, leading India to take a tough stance against Pakistan. Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed India’s commitment to “firm and decisive action” against terrorists and those who support them, while also giving the security forces a free hand to dismantle their operations.
The houses of at least 10 terrorists were destroyed in Kashmir, while a raft of measures went on to include suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty. Diplomats were expelled, visas were cancelled, the air space was closed for Pakistan-owned and operated planes and trade routes were closed between the neighbouring countries.
More recently, the Union home ministry asked all states to conduct mock drills in view of “new and complex threats”. The drills will include the operationalisation of air-raid warning sirens, training civilians on civil-defence aspects to protect themselves in the event of a “hostile attack” and cleaning bunkers and trenches.
The instruction comes as unprovoked small arms firing from across the border along the Line of Control continued for the 12th straight night on Monday, even as civilians started cleaning individual bunkers to make them habitable in case of escalation to shelling.