Islamabad/New Delhi - Taking the level of cooperation with India to a new level, Pakistan’s National Security Adviser (NSA) Nasir Khan Janjua has conveyed to his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval that 10 terrorists have sneaked into Gujarat state.
India has reportedly placed Gujrat on high alert yesterday after receiving this information and four National Security Guard (NSG) teams were deployed across the state.
Security observers believe that the information sent by Pakistan has dramatically raised the level of cooperation between the two countries but it remains to be seen whether the two neighbours build on this.
Although there was no official account of this news in Pakistan, Indian media reports claimed Pakistan had intercepted communication suggesting 10 militants have entered the Indian state. They said the information was passed on by the central government to the state authorities on Saturday.
The Pakistan’s NSA reportedly informed that these are fidayeen from the Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e Muhammed cadres. The warning from Pakistan comes after five abandoned Pakistani boats found in the past three months in Kutch.
An abandoned boat was found by a BSF patrolling team off Koteshwar coast in Kutch on Friday. Another suspicious boat has been found near Porbandar on Sunday and two foreign nationals have been arrested in this regard.
Important monuments and pilgrimage centers in Gujrat like Somnath temple, Dwarka Temple, Akashardham, power plants, defence, dams like Sardar Sarovar Dam and security establishments have also been put on alert.
“The state government received serious information from central government yesterday (Saturday) that terrorists have entered Gujarat… Till now, we have not found any suspicious person. However, whatever information is received by us is serious and we are taking all necessary steps about it,” Gujarat Minister of State for Home Rajni Patel said.
“There are continuous combing operations and several checkposts have been set up. We are searching for suspects involved in different activities,” Gujarat Director General of Police PC Thakur told the media in Ahmedabad. He added that three NSG squads are deployed in Ahmedabad and one in Somnath.
In a notification issued by the Gujarat home department and seen by AFP, all top police chiefs were asked to return to duty immediately and report any suspicious activity. TV footage showed security men frisking visitors outside hotels, cinemas and malls.
A massive security operation has been launched and raids were conducted by a police team, led by South Kutch Superintendent of Police Makrand Chauhan, early Sunday morning in Varnora village of Bhuj taluka in Kutch district bordering Pakistan. The Kutch police also raided Noorani Mahel Hotel and Muslim Jamat Khana in Bhuj.
Delhi was also put on high alert and security was beefed up at vital installations, important buildings and crowded places after police received information about a potential terror strike.
In Pathankot district of Indian Punjab, Western Army Commander Lt-Gen KJ Singh told reporters, “There are security-related problems today (Sunday). You know, Maha Shivratri is coming. There are inputs which are disturbing but notwithstanding that extra care has been taken.”