Pakistan More Aggressive After Imran Took Charge: BSF DG

Border Security Force (BSF) Director General K.K. Sharma, who will retire on Sunday, said that Pakistani military had become "more aggressive" since Imran Khan became the Prime Minister in Islamabad.

Referring to the killing of BSF Head Constable Narender Singh on September 18 in Ramgarh sector along the International Border, Sharma said: "This incident happened after Imran Khan took over as Prime Minister."

He said the killing was a "BAT" (Border Action Team) operation.

"Nothing has changed on the border. Now we are witnessing BAT action on the International Border which never happened earlier. Generally BAT action happens at the LoC. There is more aggressive stance from the other side compared to the past," said the BSF chief.

"We are taking precautious steps to avoid such incidents," he added.

Explaining the killing, Sharma said the BSF team had gone to clear elephant grass on the border.

"Generally, whenever our troops do these exercise, the other side objects and fire a few shots in the air. We used to withdraw, talk to them and the exercise would re-commence. In this case, when the fire came, our personnel made a tactical retreat.

"Then they realised that one of their men had been left behind. They went back to examine and found the helmet and a cap. And also found some signs of a person being dragged to the other side..."We could not cross over because (it was the International Border). Then the counterparts took quite some time to get in touch with us.

"They allowed us to search the area on the other part. And our party found the body. The feet were tied. There were three bullet wounds on the chest and there was a slit mark on the throat," he said.

Sharma, however, clarified that there was no other mutilation on the body.

The BSF chief said that there had been no firing since the incident happened and that Pakistan Rangers were in denial mode over the killing.

"The moment this incident took place, we noticed that the other side simply vanished. They have also got their villages vacated."

In the past, the BSF always gave a very tough and befitting reply. "We will do the same again. But in this case it was very important for us to retrieve the body first and then think of something else. In the near future we will do something."

Sharma said "there are many training camps as well as launch pads along the border where hundreds of militants are present.

"There are a number of launch pads along the International Border and particularly the LoC. Some times the militant camps are five to seven kilometres from the border and sometime they are further deep," he said.

"We know it is Pakistan's policy to push militants into India."

(IANS)