Did Pakistan shut terror camps in PoK? Bipin Rawat says no way to verify, strict vigil along borders

Indian Army chief General Bipin Rawat said that there is no possible way to verify whether the neighbouring country has closed the terrorist camps or not and asserted that Indian Army will continue with the strict vigil at its borders.

Army Chief General Bipin Rawat (File Photo/ Getty)

New Delhi: After several media reports claiming that Pakistan has shut down all the terror camps in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK), Indian Army chief General Bipin Rawat said that there is no possible way to verify whether the neighbouring country has closed the terrorist camps or not and asserted that Indian Army will continue with the strict vigil at its borders. Speaking to news agency ANI about the same, Rawat said, "No way to verify whether Pakistan has closed down terrorist camps or not. We will continue to maintain strict vigil along our borders." Army chief was speaking on the sidelines of an event where he met 140 children and teachers from Jammu and Kashmir who are on a multi-city tour organised by the Army. Over the last few days, several reports have emerged claiming that Pakistan has shut down its prime terror infrastructure including over a dozen training camps along the line of control. The reports of so-called development by Pakistan might be a result of the continuous pressure from the international community and fearing retaliation from India. It is also said that Pakistan's claim to shut terror camps in PoK might have taken place keeping in mind the crucial plenary meeting of anti-terror watchdog Financial Action Task Force (FATF) next week as the neighbouring country fears the possibility of being blacklisted for non-compliance. Even on the issue of infiltration attempts by Pakistan, top Army sources told ANI that there has not been any serious attempts by Pakistani Army to push any terrorists from its side to India this summer. The sources also stated that Pakistan had recently pulled back a part of its armoured columns from the Sialkot sector close to Jammu and Kashmir. The forward deployments were made by Pakistan Army after India carried out aerial strikes against Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorist camps in Balakot in Pakistan. As per reports, there were as many as 11 terror camps operational in PoK - five camps each in Muzaffarabad and Kotli and one in Barnala. Intel reports suggest that some of these camps operated by Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) have been shut down. Even last week, Rawat reviewed the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir and exhorted troops to remain vigilant against the nefarious designs of anti-national elements.