Sunjuwan terrorists may have enjoyed local support: Sitharaman

India accused Pakistan of sponsoring terrorists belonging to Maulana Masood Azhar’s Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) who attacked the Sunjuwan Military Station in the wee hours of Saturday, 10 February.

In a very strong response, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman repeatedly stressed that “Pakistan will pay” for the misadventure at Sunjuwan in Jammu which led to the deaths of six people, including five soldiers.

Advertisement

Read More: Pakistan will pay for Sunjuwan misadventure: Nirmala Sitharaman

In a press conference on Monday, 12 February, Sitharaman said that the Indian Army succeeded in killing the three terrorists who entered the camp from the rear and targeted JCO quarters.

Without naming any group in particular, the Defence Minister said that the terrorists may have enjoyed local support.

“Demography of the cantonment and adjoining areas indicate the possibility of local support to the terrorists,” Sitharaman said adding that Intel inputs indicate that the terrorists were being guided by handlers across the border.

“The JeM module may have infiltrated some time back and there is a possibility of them having enjoyed some local support before the final operations,” she said.

“Evidence is being scrutinised by NIA who will soon furnish a detailed report,” Sitharaman said.

She also addressed the concern over construction around the military establishments. She said that the government is analysing the problem of civil construction very close to the peripheral wall of the military establishments across the country.

On the day when the attack began, Jammu-Kashmir Assembly Speaker Kavinder Gupta had alleged that Rohingyas had a hand in the terror attack on an army camp in Sunjuwan.

Though he later expunged his remark, some BJP leaders in the state reiterated the allegation that the illegal immigrants, who came from Myanmar following persecution, might have had a hand in helping the terrorists.

Read More: Sunjuwan attack: J-K Speaker, BJP leaders blame Rohingyas

The Defence Minister informed that the counter terrorist operations at Sunjuwan were called off in the morning at 10.30 am but the sanitisation operations are on.

Before holding the press conference, Sitharaman met the injured at the Military Hospital in Jammu.