Chamba: The recovery of two mysterious Pakistani balloons from two villages in Himachal Pradesh’s Chamba district within a week has triggered security concerns.On April 22, a white-and-blue balloon marked “PIA” and bearing an inscription in Urdu was found in bushes near Toba. A similar balloon was recovered from Chillari just a few days earlier. Chamba senior superintendent of police Vijay Kumar Saklani said they had handed over the first balloon to the Army, while the second remains in their possession. Sources indicate investigators are not ruling out the possibility that the balloons were released to study wind patterns, terrain response and surveillance gaps — a tactic that could precede the use of drones for narcotics or arms into the region. Both the villages fall under the jurisdiction of Nagali panchayat. Rajkumar, vice-president, Nagali panchayat, recalled a similar Pakistan balloon was recovered around six to seven years ago. He said they were now both worried and surprised at the recovery of two Pakistani balloons. The development has also raised alarm bells given the district’s strategic vulnerability and its troubled past, particularly the chilling memories of the Chamba massacre. On Aug 3, 1998, Pakistan-sponsored militants infiltrated from Doda into Chamba and shot dead 35 migrant labourers in the villages of Kalaban and Satrundi. Chamba district shares around 215 km of its border with Kathua, Doda and Kishtwar districts of J&K. MSID:: 130493884 413 |
