Terror camps in PoK reactivated, says Govt

Defence Minister told LS that reports indicate some terrorist training camps and launching pads in PoK have been reactivated.

Government on Thursday said that some terrorist training camps and launching pads in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir have been reactivated.

HT Image

"Recent reports indicate some terrorist training camps and launching pads in PoK have been reactivated," Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee told Lok Sabha

In a written reply, he said the Government's strategy to tackle the problem of cross-border infiltration from Pakistan and PoK into Jammu and Kashmir consists of a multi-tiered arrangement which includes a forward tier of troop deployment, assisted by surveillance devices and fencing along the Line of Control.

"India has been consistently asking Pakistan to put an end to cross-border infiltration and to dismantle infrastructure of support to terrorism in Pakistan," he said.

To another question, Mukherjee said army faces a shortage of 12447 officers in the rank of Major and below and as part of efforts to fill the gap, question papers for Combined Defence Services, National Defence Academy and National Academy are now being printed in English as well as Hindi by the Union Public Service Commission.

The Minister said Government was considering extending the option of writing answers in any of the languages included in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution on the basis of recommendations made by the Satish Chandra Committee.