Charare Shrief, Mast Gul escorted to LoC after shrine siege: Jaswant Singh

Srinagar, July 28,2012
 Former External Affairs Minister and NDA vice-presidential candidate Jaswant Singh has said that Pakistani militant commander Mast Gul, who was involved in the 1995 siege of Chrar-e-Sharief shrine in Kashmir, was “escorted to the Line of Control” after he had “vacated the dargah,” Indian Express reported today.
Speaking at The Idea Exchange Programme of The Indian Express, Singh was responding to a question on whether the country was still facing the consequences of the Kandahar hijacking. As the External Affairs Minister then, Singh had accompanied three top militants for release in exchange for hijacked passengers of an Indian Airlines flight.
“Are we suffering the consequences of that? No,” he said. “I remind you of a wonderful dargah in the Valley that was burnt. Narasimha Rao was the prime minister. I know for a fact that Mast Gul vacated the dargah and he was escorted all the way to the LoC and permitted to go.”
Singh’s remark is significant as even 17 years after the Chrar-e-Sharief incident, mystery surrounds it, particularly who gutted the shrine and how Gul had managed to escape from the shrine to surface in Pakistan.
In March 1995, a large group of militants led by Gul, many of them foreigners, were holed up around the 14th-century Chrar-e-Sharief shrine. For two months, a standoff had continued between the militants and Army till the shrine was burnt down in a mysterious fire on May 10. While the Army had claimed that militants had triggered blasts, the militants had accused the Army of damaging the dargah in an attack to flush them out. Twenty militants, two Armymen and five civilians had died in the operation.
Though the Army had arrested a Pakistani militant named Abu Jindal and paraded him before the media, Gul and other Pakistani militants had disappeared.
A short while later, Gul surfaced in Pakistan, touring the country to raise funds and recruit young men for jihad in Kashmir. Later, he again disappeared, only to resurface in his native Khurram in Pakistan’s north-western province in November 1999.


{{Pranab Dhal Samanta: Do you then think we are facing the consequences of the decisions you took on the Kandahar issue?

Jaswant Singh: Kandahar wasn’t my decision, it was a Cabinet decision. Before that meeting, Prime Minister Vajpayee had called a meeting of all the political parties. In this case, to release three imprisoned terrorists is, in principle, bad. To know that your action-inaction will result in the deaths of 166 innocents is very bad. No government can possibly let 166 people die. We had intelligence that this would happen. When I landed in Kandahar, I instantly recognised the presence of ISI.

Are we suffering the consequences of that? No. I remind you of a wonderful dargah in the Valley (Chrar-e-Sharief) that was burnt. Mr Narsimha Rao was the Prime Minister. I know for a fact that Mast Gul vacated the dargah and he was escorted to the LoC and permitted to go. If I was asked to make a choice, I would unhestitatingly make a choice for the life of human beings. My going there was because it was necessary for somebody to go as the officials had said, ‘What if there is a last minute hiccup?’ And there was a hiccup. I have described it in my book. Will I work for saving lives? Always.

Transcribed by Sumegha Gulati}}

280 meters tunnel detected along IB on Indian side, no exit found

*BSF experts arrive today for further studies

JAMMU, July 28,2012

 In a sensational and first of its kind act, a 280 meters long tunnel was today detected by the Border Security Force (BSF), police and people at zero line on the International Border (IB) near forward village of Chechwal in Rajpora area of Samba district this morning, which allegedly probably had been dug from Pakistan side.

"The tunnel had reportedly been dug by the militants or the Rangers or by the workers with active connivance of Rangers from Pakistan side bypassing fencing and mining area to facilitate infiltration by the militants on the International Border. It was well planned and well managed task, which might have been undertaken by experts, most likely from Pakistan side as the tunnel was cleanly dug with enough space for the infiltrators or even the Pakistan Army or Rangers to enter into Indian side at the time of war'', official sources said.

"The tunnel was 20 feet below the earth with three feet to four feet diameter and was fitted with pipes probably for oxygen or fresh air. The tunnel had enough space inside. So far, it has been measured 200 meters from zero line to fence and 80 meters into the village Chechwal'', official sources told the Excelsior, adding the exit of the tunnel on Indian side had not been detected so far.

They said a villager Sukhdev Singh first saw land caved in at the fields at four to five places due to rains last night. He sounded the BSF, which swung into action in no time and started the operation.

"It's a fact. A tunnel is there. It has been detected 20 feet below the earth with 3 feet to 4 feet diameter and fresh air or oxygen pipes, with enough space for infiltrators to sneak into this side'', they said.

This was for the first time that a tunnel dug from Pakistan side towards India has been detected. Exit of the tunnel has not been found so far and there were apprehensions that it might have been quite long. It would take time to ascertain whether the tunnel had already been used by the infiltrators or trans-border smugglers or was just being completed.

BSF sources said the BSF Headquarters in New Delhi has been sounded and given a detailed report of what seems "the tunnel like work'' at the International Border.

"We have requisitioned experts from New Delhi to find out details of the digging and fitting of pipes and other works etc. The experts were likely to reach here tomorrow and visit the spot. Preliminary findings hinted at the tunnel work'', they said.

"The tunnel was well planned and dug meticulously over a period of time. It reportedly opens on other side of the border at Lambriyal post of the Rangers in Shakargarh area of Pakistan, about 150 to 200 meters across the IB'', sources said.

In the evening, officiating IG BSF, Jammu Frontiers, DIG NS Jamwal also visited the spot for on spot assessments of the situation. He was at the spot for about half an hour and went inside the tunnel along with DIG BSF J S Oberoi, Deputy Commissioner, Samba, Mubarak Singh and SSP Samba, Israr Khan. The BSF has cordoned off entire area and would resume the operation to find out exact nature of digging tomorrow morning.

The BSF has deployed heavy machinery at the forward area to conduct digging operations and reach completely to the tunnel. The work to detect the tunnel was apace during the day but had to be stopped in the evening due to rains. The work would resume tomorrow morning.

Speaking to reporters, Mr Jamwal said the use of oxygen pipes inside the tunnel indicated that the tunnel had been dug with proper planning and in a sophisticated way.

"As the militants had been unable to enter into this side through the IB even by cutting fencing, a new technique has been used from across the border by digging underground tunnel to facilitate infiltration of militants'', he said, adding that exit of the tunnel has not been detected so far.

"The tunnel was part of a very deliberate attempt, executed through proper planning including the use of oxygen'', Mr Jamwal said, adding: "it was yet to be ascertained as to how long the tunnel had gone into Pakistan''.

Describing the underground tunnel as "new way of infiltration'', he said the BSF has not asked for a flag meeting with the Rangers so far. "We would complete our task of detecting exact length of tunnel including its exit route'', he added.

DC Samba Mubarak Singh and SSP Samba Israr Khan camped at the spot. They said no end to the tunnel has been sighted so far. They added that initially Pakistani Rangers resisted digging at the zero line but they were told that they were looking for a child. They said entire area has been cordoned off. The officers lauded the villagers, who spotted the ground that had caved-in and asked other villagers not to panic as both civil and police administration were at their disposal along with security forces.

A senior officer of one of the Intelligence agency, who landed inside the tunnel, told the Excelsior that pipe in the tunnel, which was 2.5 inches x 3 inches round was new and clean, which indicated that it had been fitted fresh. There was no exit to the tunnel on Indian side detected so far.

The experts called by the BSF would go inside the tunnel and find out its exit routes, exact length and starting point, if possible.

"By all means, the tunnel had been dug from Pakistan side and connected to forward village of Chechwal on the International Border on Indian side. The motive could be to help militants infiltrate into this side, which otherwise, they were finding it impossible due to fencing on the border, installation of electronic gadgets and surveillance by the BSF'', sources said.

Sources said the villager Sukhdev Singh while moving into the fields saw the land leading towards fencing having sunk at four places, which created doubts in his mind. He informed the BSF, which started the operation that picked up in the morning.

The BSF has deployed very heavy machinery at the spot. However, things would be more clear with the arrival of experts from New Delhi tomorrow, who would go inside the tunnel to find it its exit route on Indian side and the starting points.

Sources, however, admitted that the tunnel had been dug from near Lambriyal Post of Rangers in Shakargarh area about 200 meters into Pakistan territory. They added that since the digging took place about 20 feet deep inside the earth, the BSF jawans at their forward posts were unable to detect it. They said the experts in digging the tunnels appeared to have executed the task going by the fact that the tunnel had been meticulously executed. The oxygen had been supplied to the workers through pipes. The same pipes had to be used to supply oxygen and fresh air to the infiltrators.

Sources admitted that it was very urgent for the security agencies to find out exit route of the tunnel, which they would try to ascertain at all costs immediately.

Worthwhile to mention here that a number of militants have been camping at the IB and LoC awaiting an opportunity to infiltrate into this side. However, all infiltration attempt at the LoC and IB have been foiled this year making the militants and their mentors in Pakistan Army and the Rangers jittery.

Finding unable to push the militants either from the LoC or the IB, the Pakistan Army appeared to have used the new technique of digging the underground tunnel to push the militants from the IB. Using the tunnel, Pakistan would have been able not only to infiltrate as many militants as they wanted but could have also used the tunnel during wartime had it not been detected.

Sources described the construction of underground tunnel as a "very serious development'' on the borders, which had the potential of being raised at very high level with Pakistan. External Affairs Minister SM Krishna is scheduled to travel to Pakistan in September.

According to sources, execution of such a large tunnel might have been going on for months together. They said the work right on the IB was not possible without active connivance of Pakistan Army, BSF and militant commanders. Moreover, some professionals in digging underground tunnels had been used for the task, they added.

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