NEW DELHI: Even as the Kargil operations continued with intense exchange of artillery and mortar fire in the Batalik and Dras sectors with fierce fighting at some places, a separate set-up under the Rashtriya Rifles was announced to tackle the Pak-sponsored militants in other parts of Jammu and Kashmir with an assertion that there was no void or let-up in the internal security to give any advantage to the enemy.

The IAF aircraft did not mount any air attacks on Saturday as Group Capt. Ganesh said the Army did not require them. The troops were busy not only fighting the intruders but also encircling their positions to choke their lines of sustenance. Four enemy’s "sangars" (bunkers) were destroyed noth of Tololing and as per troops in contact, eight Pak soldiers were killed in the engagement. The troops also recovered the body of a Pakistan Army soldier, Naik Mohd Noor of the Northern Light Infantry.

At the daily Kargil briefing of the Defence Ministry, slides were shown to assert that the Line of Control (LoC) being disputed by Pakistan was well demarcated on 19 mosaics signed by the Lt. General-rank officers of the two sides back on December 11, 1972. And that it may not be shown on the ground but posts of both Pakistan Army and Indian Army know from where the line passes.

The latest casualty tally is 313 Pak soldiers killed on the Indian mountains as against 112 Indian personnel killed, 249 injured and eight missing. In the last 24 hours, six were killed and seven wounded in the "Operation Vijay" that has been mounted in the Kargil sector, while Capt. Deepak Guleria of Rashtriya Rifles hailing from Himachal Pradesh and three others were killed and 10 wounded in the "Operation Rakshak" which goes on separately to fight the militancy.

A "fully functional, independent headquarters" has been given charge of the counter-insurgency operations under Rashtriya Rifles Director-General Lt Gen. Avtar Singh, who has also been appointed the Security Advisor to the Jammu and Kashmir Government and co-located in Srinagar , the military spokesman announced at the Media briefing.

The Rashtriya Rifles Director-General replaces the two core commanders who were so far the security advisors to the state government and who are now required for the "Operation Vijay" in progress in Kargil sector since May 26. The new formation takes charge of the "Operation Rakshak" going on in the state for years, in coordination with the State Government, to handle the militancy problem.

NO LOWERING OF GUARDS: The announcement was aimed at removing the impression created by some Media reports that the Indian military has lowered its guards in the state by shifting the forces from the valley to Kargil sector to concentrate in evicting the armed intrusion by the enemy.

"Yes, some forces have been side-stepped, but the balance is being fully maintained. We have adequate forces along the Line of Control as well as to take care of any internal security problems in J&K," Col Bikram Singh declared.

The new headquaters for internal security has the Rashtriya Rifles battalions as well as additional 20 battalions of the Border Security Force and Central Reserve Police force besides the existing force level of the central police organisations. The colonel said: "Therefore, no reduction has really occurred in force levels for conduct of counter-insurgency operations. The counter-insurgency grid has been appropriately readjusted with additional forces which include Rashtriya Rifles, BSF and CRPF battalions."

Even while the Kargil operations are on, the military has captured as many as 120 militants since the last month and captured 23 and sezied 228 weapons while 11 other militants surrendered, Col. Bikram Singh pointed out to stress that there has been no let-up in the anti-insurgency operations just because the army is burdened with the kargil job. He said Lt. Gen. Avtar Singh was appointed the security advisor to the J&K Government "to ensure intimate planning and coordination of forces for internal security and security of the lines of communication."

SKARDU NOT SHELLED: The colonel also sought to clarify that a Pakistan Army camp destroyed in the Indian Army’s artillery and mortar fire was not in or around Skardu town in the Pak-occupied Kashmir but located in the close proximity of the Line of Control. Skardu is 70 km from the LoC while the Army is engaged in neutralising only the military targets just across the LoC, he explained.

Pointing out that the use of the word "attack" has been giving a wrong connotation that the Indian Forces were crossing the LoC to eliminate the enemy’s camps, Col. Bikram Singh said the entire operation was being carried out from the Indian soil to neutralise the enemy camps-cum-administrative bases in the "Skardu region" since they were interfering with the military operations in the Kargil sector.

Declining to give locations of the enemy bases from where the intruders were getting the help and which are being neutralised, the colonel said he can only say tht "they are very close to LoC."

LoC CONTROVERSY: Foreign Ministry spokesman Vivek Katju, the joint secretary incharge Pak desk who chaired the briefing, pointed out that the 740-km long LoC from Sangam to NJ 9842 was not only drawn on the maps but 19 annexures running into 40 pages were attached to it to clearly show the coordinate and physical features to leave no ambiguity.

Pointing out that the LoC was not drawn just on the map but it was the result of the hard labour put up by the military officials of two sides for five months who met nine times, five times at Suchetgarh and four times at Wagah, before each side produced two sets of the maps showing the agreed demarcation of the Ceasefire line. There were altogether 27 maps which were joined into 19 masaics which carry initials of the military officers of the two sides.

A slide of one of the mosaics was shown on which Lt Gen. P S Bhagat has signed on the Indian side of the LoC area while the Pakistan side bears signatures of Lt Gen. Abdul Hamid Khan of the Pakistan Army. END