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'India used force to evict Pak intruders during Operation Parakram'

Operation Parakram involved deploying hundreds of thousands of troops along the Indo-Pak border following a terrorist attack on Parliament.

Disclosing this for the first time, Defence Minister George Fernandes told the Lok Sabha in a written reply that in the last week of July this year, Pakistani troops had intruded approximately 800 metres into the Indian side of the Line of Control into what he described as "a relatively low feature having little tactical significance."

Fernandes told the House that it was only on August 2, with appropriate action by ground troops backed by IAF fighters that Pakistani forces were pushed out.

"Point 3260 is not considered tactically important, and viable for physical occupation by our own troops," the minister said. Being in close proximity of the LoC and the area not being physically occupied, Pakistani troops had intruded into the area, he added.

Indian troops noticed the Pakistani intrusion on July 26 as the area round the feature was closely patrolled, he said. Suitable action was then launched to force the enemy troops out and restore the sanctity of the LoC, he added.

Fernandes said that following the successful eviction of the intruders in the operation, in which Indian troops did not suffer casualties, no inquiry was ordered into the incident. "Casualties to Pakistan troops are not known," he added.

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