Jammu:
Accusing the Pakistani Army and the Rangers of facilitating infiltration, BSF chief Raman Srivastava on Tuesday said the Indian Army and BSF have been alerted along the border to foil attempts by a large number of militants waiting at different launching pads to cross over.
"We have inputs from various sources that a large number of militants are waiting at different points along the International Border (IB) and the Line of Control (LoC) at different launching pads in Pakistan to enter this side," he told reporters at BSF headquarters here after placing a wreath on the body of DIG O P Tanwar.
52-year-old Tanwar was killed yesterday in a blast triggered by militants near the Indo-Pak border in Samba district's Ballad post where he had gone to conduct a combing operation after the area came under fire from across border.
Srivastava said the entire border has been alerted. "The Army has been alerted along LoC. We are alert on IB," he said. "We are trying to prevent infiltration. We expect a surge in infiltration before snow closes the passes. We know they (militants) are going to try. They have tried in past. We have repulsed them at many places."
Asked if Pakistani Rangers were involved in facilitating infiltration, the BSF DG said the Pakistani Rangers and the Army have "always" facilitated infiltration. "You see that it is not an old thing. It is also nothing new".
To repeated questions on direct involvement of Pakistan elements in triggering the blast in which the DIG was killed and also in facilitating infiltration, he said, "We cannot say it was done by the Pakistani rangers or ISI. We cannot pin point who is directly responsible".