November 30, 2003	Sunday	Shawwal 5, 1424

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NEW DELHI, Nov 29: The Indian army is keeping a close vigil on the Line of Control in Kashmir to complement an ongoing ceasefire, as it continues to search for anti-India guerillas in the region, Indian army chief Gen N.C. Vij said on Saturday.

Gen Vij, on a two-day tour of the state, visited army positions in Rajouri and Poonch districts of the Jammu region to watch the preparedness, senior officials said.

This was his first visit to Kashmir since a ceasefire came into effect on the India-Pakistan border on Nov 25, IANS news agency reported.

“Complimenting the troops for their valour in guarding the border and in counter-insurgency operations, the army chief told them that while the ceasefire on the border should be observed in letter and spirit, there should be no let up in anti-terrorist operations in the interior of the state,” the agency said.

Gen Vij told the troops that “no mercy should be shown to infiltrators who attempted to sneak in from across the border.”

The sanctity of the LoC should be maintained and violators should be severely dealt with.

Indian Foreign Minister Yashwant Sinha had explained on Thursday that by not making the ceasefire on the LoC conditional on a truce within Jammu and Kashmir against the anti-India guerillas was a major diplomatic departure by Pakistan.—J.N.