Pakistani army on high alert amid reports of Indian plan to conduct surgical raid
Pakistan's army has been put on high alert after reports alleged India was preparing to launch an attack on the de facto border that divides the disputed Kashmir region between the two countries.
Pakistani Dawn newspaper quoted "informed sources" as saying on Wednesday that the Indian military had plans to launch the attack after it recently faced a humiliating defeat in Ladakh and Dokalam in the volatile region.
The daily said Pakistan's Armed Forces had been put on high alert to face any "untoward situation."
The sources said a "false flag operation" was also being planned by India to divert attention from they said were several of the country's internal issues, including protests by farmers, the mistreatment of minorities, and alleged atrocities committed by the Indian forces in Kashmir.
India claimed to have carried out a surgical strike on the Line of Control (LoC) in Kashmir in 2016, a claim rejected by Pakistan. India also tried to launch a similar operation against Pakistan last February but failed, and two of its planes were shot down by the Pakistani Air Force. Indian pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan was arrested and later released.
Kashmir has been split between India and Pakistan since their partition in 1947. The countries have fought three wars over the territory.
India has stationed more than half a million soldiers in Kashmir to quell a pro-independence uprising that first erupted in 1989.
New Delhi also recently scrapped the semi-autonomy of its part of Kashmir, sparking a new wave of tensions over the region.
India and Pakistan have also frequently exchanged heavy fire across the militarized de facto border in the disputed Kashmir Valley.
India accuses Pakistan of arming and training militants and allowing them across the restive frontier in an attempt to launch attacks. Pakistan denies the allegation.
Thousands of people have been killed in the unrest in Kashmir over the past two decades.
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