Dharamshala (HP): Pakistani intelligence
agencies have activated their spy cells around army
cantonments in Himachal Pradesh with an aim to spread
the tentacles of militancy in the state, a top army official
on Wednesday said.
"Pakistan intelligence organisations have got their
agents to reconnoitre our cantonments for gathering vital
military intelligence. In this direction, we have arrested two
Pak intelligence spies here", General officer Commanding
(GOC), 9 Corps, Lt Gen G M Nair told reporters here.
"They are trying to spread the militancy from J-K to
Himachal Pradesh but our troops are keeping a check and
intense patrolling is going on," he said.
The terrorists and their sympathisers have taken up
temporary residence in the vicinity of cantonments, he said
adding Pakistan is encouraging its agencies to subvert some of
our unsuspecting people.
Police have arrested a former armyman Charanjeet
Singh here for spying who revealed whereabouts of a Pakistani
national living here and posing as a Hindu, Nair said.
These arrests were made in last two months, he said.
"They were involved in mapping of cantonments,
stations and formations besides other vital areas and passing
the information to Pakistan", the GoC said.
The investigation is on to expose these sleeper
cells in HP and around the cantonments, he said adding "we
have initiated a number of measures to strengthen the security
of our cantonments which include construction of security
walls along the perimeters and enhanced security checks".
He said the neighbouring country is also exploiting
India's telecom network to acquire sensitive military
information and asked people in the area to cooperate with the
army if some stringent measures are adopted.
"This will cause inconvenience to the civilian
population as well as our families who are dependant upon
civil infrastructure", he said adding "we must bear the
inconvenience to ensure national security and public well
being".
Nair had yesterday said that nearly 50 to 60
militants from PoK were waiting to sneak into Jammu sector
prompting the army to keep a hawk-eye vigil at the borders.
Bureau Report
First Published: Wednesday, September 02, 2009, 19:43