Author: B L Kak
Publication: The Daily
Excelsior
Date: November 20, 2000
Pakistan's military leadership
will not allow India to erect barbed-wire fencing along the International
Border (IB) in Jammu region.
Islamabad's move, in
this regard, was discussed in Karachi at a high-level meeting the other
day. The meeting, which was chaired by the military ruler, Gen Parvez
Musharraf, was also attended by two military commanders from Sialkot and
Lahore.
These Pakistani commanders,
according to intelligence reports, have been assigned the task of rendering
ineffective the Indian move to provide fencing along the International
Border in Jammu region.
The Karachi meeting was
held in connection with the 'inspection' trip by Gen Musharraf to the International
Defence Exhibition in Karachi.
Intelligence reports
said that the message from the Karachi meeting left none in doubt about
the Pak military leadership's determination to "foil India's provocative
moves" along the Jammu border.
The message has also
let it be known that Islamabad would continue to treat the Jammu border
as "working border" and, hence, "no fencing by Indians without proper discussions
with the consent from Pakistan".
Meanwhile, preliminary
steps have been taken to illuminate parts of the Indo-Pak border in Punjab
and Rajasthan. These steps, obviously, started after the matter was
discussed by the Union Home and Urban Affairs Ministries.
The decision to illuminate
the Indo-Bangladesh border has been necessitated by the fact that the border
areas in West Bengal are too prone to crime and that the fencing can be
easily breached.
Places surveyed include
areas where there is maximum infiltration. Another section earmarked
for being illuminated is the area where fencing is already complete.
According to the survey, areas on the other side of the fencing also need
to be monitored.
The first phase surveyed
is 314 km of the total 2,428 km border. The area has been divided
in two sectors -- Calcutta and Krishannagar. The Calcutta sector
covers 104 km, while the Krishannagar sector runs along 210 km in Nadia,
Murshidabad and some parts of the North 24 Parganas.
In Nadia, the most disturbed
places under the Border Security Force (BSF) have been brought under the
proposal. Some other places considered vulnerable and have a history
of cross-border crimes like Sikarpur, Teinpur, Gede, Meghna are also being
illuminated.
