Srinagar: In an unprecedented security breach, two persons from the border district of Kupwara on Thursday entered the operational areas of the Army and the Indian Air Force (IAF), driving all the way to the Srinagar airport’s tarmac to receive their guests. Although the duo were taken into custody after parking their vehicle beside an aircraft, interrogated and subsequently let off by the police, security and intelligence agencies were worried over the background of one of the guests.
An official communication accessed by The Hindu made it clear that Parvaiz Ahmad Dar of Lachipora and Mudasir Ahmad Mir of Wadipora, Handwara, entered the highest security, ‘Technical Area’, through Rangreth at about 3.00 p.m. This side of the airport has been completely out-of-bounds for civilians, including State government functionaries, and has been strictly for the use of the Army and the IAF, besides VVIPs such as the Prime Minister and the President.
After making an entry in the log, the Army guards retained Mr. Dar’s driving licence and asked him to proceed, advising that the vehicle be checked by a bomb disposal squad inside the operational area. No one at the six barriers and checkpoints on the four km-long highest security corridor bothered to find out how the private car carrying two unauthorised civilians was heading towards the tarmac.
13/03/13 The Hindu
