Ladakh on high alert

Arteev Sharma

Tribune News Service

Jammu, September 30

Amid escalating Indo-Pak tension after the Army’s surgical strikes on terrorist camps in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), Ladakh, which shares vast boundaries with China and Pakistan, has been put on a high alert, following apprehension of “possible aggression” from the other side of the border.

While the administration has sounded the alert for all habitations along the Line of Control (LoC), it has kept the situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), an unmarked boundary between China and India, on a “close watch.”

The Ladakh region has 225-km LoC, 955-km LAC that includes some portion of international border and 122-km Actual Ground Position Line with China which has friendly relations with Pakistan.

“We have sounded a high alert for all villages along the LoC in Leh district. Though the number of such inhabitations (along the LoC in Leh district) is small, we have maintained a close vigil on developing situation. For any kind of cross-border hostility or firing, we have kept our contingency plan ready but it has not been activated so far. We don’t want to create an unnecessary panic among the people. This is the only reason that no evacuation so far has been ordered in the district,” said Prasanna Ramaswamy G, Deputy Commissioner, Leh.

Ramaswamy said the situation was, however, peaceful along the LAC and there was no report of any unusual activity from the other side. “We have directed all senior district officers to remain alert and keep a tight vigil on any kind of unusual border activity,” he added.

Similarly, the border villages, close to the LoC, in Kargil district, have also been put on the high alert with the administration chalking out a strategy to shift the people to safer places in case of any border skirmish.

“A high alert has been sounded in Kargil. The sarpanches and numberdars have been asked to remain in constant contact with the administration and inform it immediately if they find anything unusual along the LoC. The administration has devised a comprehensive strategy to deal with any emergent situation,” a senior officer told The Tribune over phone from Kargil.