India has lodged a “strong protest” with Pakistan with regard to a 300-metre-long tunnel, which was found extending into the country from beneath the border fencing at Chachwal outpost in Samba, 70 km from Jammu.
“We lodged the protest during a flag meeting with Pak rangers at Octroi post in RS Pura area. The meeting was held at 3 pm on Tuesday,” said a senior Border Security Force (BSF) official.
He said that photographs and other pieces of evidence on the tunnel were handed over to Pakistani rangers. “They didn’t say anything, just accepted our protest letter. They (the Pakistani rangers) didn’t even give a verbal assurance on the issue, despite our strong and sincere protest,” the official added.
However, the mouth of the secret tunnel could not be blocked on Tuesday due to overnight rains.
The tunnel, which could have enabled infiltrators to crawl 300 metres into Indian territory, was accidentally discovered by a farmer after parts of it caved in during the rains.
BSF IGP SK Mishra, who inspected the spot on Monday, said it will seek the help of the army as well as the Geological Survey of India to find the mouth of the tunnel, besides its exact length. It will also seek the assistance of the Indian Space Research Organisation to affirm the possibility of similar tunnels through satellite imagery.
{{/usCountry}}BSF IGP SK Mishra, who inspected the spot on Monday, said it will seek the help of the army as well as the Geological Survey of India to find the mouth of the tunnel, besides its exact length. It will also seek the assistance of the Indian Space Research Organisation to affirm the possibility of similar tunnels through satellite imagery.
{{/usCountry}}“There is clear Pakistani involvement in the matter. Recent incidents of firing at this sector could have been meant to prevent detection of digging activities,” said Mishra.