NEW DELHI: A Jawan of a Gorkhar battalion located along the Line of Control (LOC) in Rajauri sector (J&K) is learned to have crossed over to Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK) about four weeks ago.
Although details of the incident were not available, it is likely that the jawan was under some mental stress at the time of his taking this extreme step. He is understood to have taken along with him a sniper rifle and his personal weapon apart from several rounds of ammunition It is not known whether the 16 corps headquarters at Nagrota has taken up the issue with their Pakistani counterparts. Notwithstanding the embarrassing incident, the Gorkha Unit has a distinguished record both in curbing infiltration and infiltration along the LC and in carrying out people friendly civic actions.
The Pakistani unit located opposite the Gorkha unit, however, have their reasons to celebrate the jawan’s defection. For, only last October this very Gorkha unit had been responsible for the transfer under disgrace of the commanding officer of the Pakistani unit opposite. At around 4:30 a.m. on October 26 last year. Pakistani soldiers had fired several thou- sand rounds non stop for almost two) hours at the Indian “Three Cheel Post,” there were casualties on the Indian : side.
The next day, however, the Gorkha unit had retaliated by firing about 20 grenades from an Automatic Grenade Launcher inflicting four Pakistani casualties.
The death of four Pakistani soldiers: and the failure to inflict casualties on the Indian side had thus lead to the Pakistani colonel loosing his job as commanding officer of his unit.
Article extracted from this publication >> May 13, 1994
