In spite of the thaw in ties between India and Pakistan, there will be no lowering of guard along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir, Defence Minister George Fernandes said on Tuesday.
With snow melting in the Himalayas, strong vigil has to be maintained so that no infiltration takes place, he said at a conference of commanders in New Delhi.
The defence minister is believed to have assured the commanders that all efforts are being made to equip the armed forces with anti-infiltration devices like sensors, thermal imagers and unmanned aerial vehicles.
The Ministry of Defence did not release any excerpts of the minister's speech at the conference, which is being held in the backdrop of Islamabad's peace overtures to New Delhi and the recent spurt in terrorist attacks in J&K.
The 'lessons' from the US military campaign in Iraq and the violence in J&K form the main agenda of the three-day conference, which is being attended by six army commanders and principal staff officers at the army headquarters in New Delhi.
The commanders will also frame the operational mandate of the Rashtriya Rifles, the country's biggest anti-insurgency force, which is operating in J&K.
Once the operational mandate is finalised, it will be submitted to the Cabinet Committee on Security for approval.
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