Intelligence inputs shared by government officials suggested that "Pakistan-trained commandos" had entered the Gulf of Kutch on the west coast to foment violence, the Kandla Port said in an advisory. Venu Gopal, secretary of a trust that runs Kandla Port, confirmed it had received the intelligence inputs.
"We've reviewed the situation and instructed our security personnel to beef up security at vital installations and vulnerable areas," he said. An advisory issued by Adani, which operates the Mundra Port, told all ships there "take utmost security measures and maintain a vigilant watch". "We've informed our stakeholders at the port," an Adani spokesman said, without giving further details.
Raveesh Kumar, the Indian foreign ministry's spokesman, declined to comment on the reports but said the security forces were prepared to deal with any such infiltration. A spokesman for Pakistan's military declined to comment on the advisory notices. A Pakistani military source said the reports were untrue.
"India is trying to divert the attention of the world from Kashmir," the source said. "There has been no such movement." Located on the Gulf of Kutch, the Mundra Port is India's largest private port accounting for nearly one-fourth of the cargo movement in the country.
The Kandla port, built in the 1950s, is a major hub for cargoes such as crude oil and agricultural commodities of cargo handled. Meanwhile, India on Thursday said it has information that Pakistan is trying to infiltrate terrorists into the country to carry out attacks amid rising tensions over New Delhi's decision to abrogate the autonomy of Indian-controlled Kashmir.
External Affairs Ministry spokesman Raveesh Kumar told reporters that Indian security forces were prepared to deal with any eventuality. He was reacting to Indian media reports that cited unidentified Indian intelligence sources as saying "Pakistan-trained commandos" have entered Indian waters to attack port facilities in western Gujarat state.
He said Pakistan is trying to infiltrate terrorists to create an alarmist situation after New Delhi imposed a lockdown and ended Indian-occupied Kashmir's autonomy early this month. In Pakistan, military spokesman Major General Asif Ghafoor rejected the Indian claims, saying Pakistan was a responsible state and "we would be insane to allow infiltration" across the Line of Control dividing Kashmir between the two countries.
Kumar alleged Pakistan "has been using terror and cross-border terrorism as a policy. We have continued to highlight that Pakistan has an obligation to take action against terrorist and terror groups operating from its soil."
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