Keran operation is not like Kargil, says Abdullah

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said here Wednesday the recently concluded 14-day operation by the Indian Army to remove intruders from the Keran sector on the Line of Control (LoC) in the state was never termed as Kargil-2.

Infiltrators from the Pakistan side had entered into the Kargil area of Jammu and Kashmir in May 1999, and had occupied Indian Army posts. The incident later escalated into an armed conflict and the Indian Army lost many soldiers in regaining the Indian Army posts.

Speaking to reporters, the chief minister said it was the media that has hyped the infiltration, allegedly backed by Pakistan, on the Indian side of the Line of Control (LoC) in Kashmir's Kupwara district as Kargil-2.

Abdullah said that neither the Indian Army nor the state administration had described it as Kargil-2.

He also said that neither the state police nor the state administration were part of the operation, which was carried out solely by the Indian Army. Hence, any questions about the operation in Keran sector on the LoC should be put to the army, he said.