Jammu: Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday made it clear that the sacrifice of soldiers killed in the attack on the Sunjuwan camp will not go in vain and Pakistan will pay the price for its “misadventure”.
She asserted that even though evidence of Pakistan's role may be shared, India still reserved the right to respond adequately at the time of its choosing. "Pakistan will pay for this misadventure. I repeat Pakistan will pay for it,” the defence minister, who was in Jammu to take stock of the situation, told reporters.
The attack was the worst in months, with five soldiers and the father of one of the soldiers killed and women and children among the ten wounded. Three terrorists were also gunned down. Pakistan, however, has denied responsibility and said India should not rush to judgment without a full inquiry.
Sitharaman said that Pakistan has been expanding its arc of terror to areas south of Pir Panjal and its role behind the attack stands exposed. She said that the terrorists who sneaked into the family quarters of the camp belonged to Jaish-e-Mohammed, which is sponsored by Azhar Masood, who resides in Pakistan and derives support from the country’s establishment.
“These terrorists were sponsored by Pakistan. Their handlers are across the border. There is also a possibility that they enjoyed local support,” she said.
Asked whether the government was sharing evidence with Pakistan, Sitharaman replied in the affirmative. "Yes, all the evidences which have been collected will be compiled and definitely the evidences will be given as always to Pakistan. But Pakistan, despite being given dossiers after dossiers, has not taken any action,” she said.
Giving out the details of the attack, Sitharaman said that three terrorists were killed while the fourth was a guide and he did not enter the campus. She said that the forces have completed their operation, but sanitization of the premises is still underway.
Counter terrorist operation at the military camp was called off this morning but sanitisation operations were still on, she added. The defence minister said the JeM module which conducted the attack may have infiltrated sometime back and possibly enjoyed local support.
"The demography of the cantonment and adjoining areas indicate the possibility of local support to the terrorists and an alert had been sounded on the likelihood of an attack by the terrorists around this period," she said.
The defence minister said that quick reaction teams (QRTs) were deployed in vulnerable areas. It was assessed that Pak-Sponsored terrorists may target softer elements, hence, QRTs were also positioned at Sunjuwan family quarters, she said.
Sitharaman said the intrusions of the terrorists was promptly detected by the sentry and challenged by a nearby QRT leading to the brief exchange of fire. "This immediate action forced terrorists to split into individual positions and prevented a coordinated strike. The scattered terrorists reached the family quarters and occupied some of the blocks," she said.
They were isolated, and since the terrorists were dressed in battle fatigues, and had an appearance similar to their possible victims, the operation had to be done "deliberately slow" to avoid collateral damages, she said. She complemented the valour of soldiers for carrying out the entire operation with precision. “A 189 flats had to be cleared,” she said.
When asked if the high number of terror attacks was a sign of any security lapses, the defence minister said that Sunjuwan camp is just 30 km from international border, and the tough terrain and snow conditions make it difficult to completely stop infiltration. She said that the high number of ceasefire violations on the Line of Control are being done to assist infiltration into Kashmir.
She refused to be drawn into the controversy over Jammu and Kashmir chief minister’s statement that talks with Pakistan are a must to end bloodshed in the Valley. Without answering if talks were a possibility, she said that she shares the grief of Mufti.
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