Ahead of Eid on August 12, curbs in Valley on civilians are likely to be lifted for a few hours; security agencies have identified four 'hot spots' where trouble could erupt during this period. Pak suspends Thar Express and Dosti bus service as India cautions on meddling
Mumbai: In view of the enhanced threat perception following the scrapping of Article 370 and specific intelligence input, the Indian Navy has sounded an alert over a possible Pakistan-based terror attack.
The Navy has accordingly sounded an alert on the eastern and the western seaboards; each point of entry along the coastline is being monitored in real-time to identify potential threats, sources told media.
Earlier in the day, MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar told Pakistan to desist from meddling in India's internal affairs and not precipitate matters over Article 370.
However, Pakistan has continued to be on the offensive. After derailing the Samjhauta Express, Islamabad on Friday announced that it has suspended the Jodhpur-Karachi Thar Express as well as the Dosti bus service between Lahore and New Delhi.
Ahead of Eid on August 12, security agencies have identified at least four 'hot spots' in Jammu and Kashmir where trouble could erupt, when restrictions imposed on civilians are likely to be lifted.
The Valley is in the midst of unprecedented troop deployment since August 5. Defence sources said that relaxation is likely to be provided for a few hours to enable civilians to go out and offer prayers.
But there is a high possibility of trouble after the prayers, as has been witnessed previously. ‘‘We have identified certain 'hot spots' that are potential areas of trouble in the Valley -- Shopian, Pulawama and parts of Anantnag and Sopore.’’
As per security agencies, sporadic incidents of violence have been reported from some areas of Jammu & Kashmir since August 5. However, officials confirmed that those incidents don't match the scale, magnitude and frequency of incidents that used to take place earlier.
The number of ceasefire violations by Pakistan at the Line of Control (LoC) has been drastically less in the month of August as compared to the previous month. There were 272 ceasefire violations till the end of July, which was the highest for any particular month this year.
July was incidentally the month in which Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and the US President Donald Trump had met in Washington DC. The second highest number of ceasefire violations was reported in March in the wake of the Pulawama terror strike and the air strikes carried out by India in the Balakot area of Pakistan.
"The number of ceasefire violations have been surprisingly low over the past one week. We are, however, expecting an increase in the infiltration attempts from across the PoK into India in the light of the veiled threats from Pakistan. But we are prepared for any contingencies," said the official.
Following the decision on Article 370, Imran Khan had warned of another 'Pulawama-type incident'.
JAMMU: The district administration on Friday withdrew orders under Section 144 imposed here on August 5. All schools, colleges and academic institutions will also resume from August 10.
