An Army soldier was injured in a gunfight between the security forces and terrorists in the Lasana village of Poonch along the Line of Control (LoC) during wee hours on Tuesday as multiple cordon and search operations have been intensified in areas along the international border (IB) and LoC ahead of the 19 April visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Officials said that the injured soldier has been hospitalised where his condition was stable.

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The Army along with CRPF and J&K Police had launched a cordon and search operation last night following intelligence reports about the presence of terrorists in the village.

Indian Army’s Jammu-based White Knight Corps wrote on X, “Contact was established with terrorists during a joint operation with the police at Lasana, Surankote, last night. Additional troops have been inducted, and search operations are going on to prevent the terrorists from escaping.”

Pakistani agencies were continuing to push in heavily armed terrorists even after a Brigadier level flag meeting between Indian and Pakistan armies in Poonch on Thursday in which maintaining peace was highlighted.

Security forces have been put on high alert following the recent infiltration bids along the IB and LoC. Groups of terrorists are on the run after brief encounters with the security forces in the Kathua and Udhampur districts.

Modi is slated to visit here on Saturday to inaugurate the prestigious Katra-Srinagar rail link by flagging off a Vande Bharat from the Katra town at the foothills of the Vaishnodevi shrine mountain. Inauguration of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla project will provide a rail link to the Kashmir valley with rest of the country.

The PM will also inaugurate the iconic arch-shape Chenab rail bridge that is Asia’s highest rail bridge.

Meanwhile, the White Knight Corps and the Rising Star Corp of the Indian Army along with CRPF and J&K Police have already launched search operations in the Poonch, Rajouri, Udhampur, Kishtwar, Reasi, Doda, Samba, Jammu and Kathua districts where some terrorists are suspected hiding after fleeing from encounter sites.

A Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO), Subedar Kildeep Chand, of 9 Punjab was killed in the Keri Battal Sector of Akhnoor in the Jammu district while he and his men foiled an infiltration bid by Pakistani terrorists.

Security forces in Kathua have been trailing the movement of terrorists since 23 March when a group of 5 was first spotted in the forest area of Saniyal in the Hiranagar Sector near the IB. Four policemen lost their lives in a gunfight on 27 March with these terrorists in the Sufain forest area in the district. Two Pakistani terrorists were also gunned down but three managed to flee.

Security forces gunned down three Pakistani terrorists in the Chatroo forest area of Kishtwar. A large quantity of arms, ammunition and Pakistan made pain killers and other medicines were recovered from their baggage.

Security forces have also recovered caches of arms and ammunition from various hideouts in the Kashmir valley.