Jammu, July 30: Having failed to make any headway in uncovering the 400-meter-long tunnel from Pakistan into India in Jammu and Kashmir's Samba sector, BSF has sought help from Army, Geological Survey of India (GSI) and geo-physics and seismology experts for the task.
 "We have requested experts of Army, GSI, geo-physics and seismology besides geology and mining to conduct digging and excavation work to find out the extension and opening of the tunnel," IG BSF (Headquarters, New Delhi) S K Mishra told reporters at Chillary border fencing area on International Border (IB), over 60 km from here today.
 Help would be also sought from satellite imagery from ISRO, he said before the border guarding force took necessary action.
 The BSF suspended excavation work on Monday to uncover the tunnel after 48-hour-long operation in Chachwal village due to rains that filled the trench dug by the para-military force.
 "Tunnel portions are filled with rain water ... work was stopped," he said. "We have been digging the tunnel further ... we do not know where the tunnel is going, where is its opening point .... we have not found out so far," he said.
 "The alignment (of the tunnel) is straight to border fencing ... it is going across. So far we have got to the middle of the tunnel .... we do not know beyond," the IG said.
 He said, "We have requested experts from Army to excavate it further so that we can know where is its opening and where is it going .... that we have to do urgently."
 "One tunnel has been detected. We do not know whether there are more tunnels. So we have sent requests to for GSI, geology and mining experts to find details of the tunnel," he said.
 "We will definitely inform ISRO for satellite imagery," he said, adding that a seismic survey could be carried out as well.
 Asserting that "infiltration and smuggling" were intentions behind digging a 400-mt-long tunnel from Pakistan side into India in J&K's Samba sector, BSF IG said a strong protest would be lodged with Islamabad with full evidence.
 "The objective must be to infiltrate people - that is what I suspect. Besides infiltration (of militants sitting on Pakistan side), smuggling of narcotics are objective of people on that side," Mishra told reporters.
 Mishra, who led a team from Delhi for inspection of the site in Chachwal border hamlet close to three-tier fencing along International Border in Samba sector, said militants might have dug the tunnel for infiltration.
 "The purpose (of digging a tunnel into India from Pakistan) is known to everyone - to infiltrate and conduct smuggling from there," the IG BSF said.
 The tunnel was detected on July 28 after an area caved-in in a straight line at two-three places due to rains near the border fencing near Chillayari Border Out Post (BoP) of BSF along the International Border in Samba sector.
 "We are looking into all aspects. The tunnel is 300 meter up to border fencing and 100 meter beyond the fencing into this side of the border," he said.
 Mishra said a "strong protest note with all available evidence" would be lodged with Pakistan.

Lastupdate on : Mon, 30 Jul 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Mon, 30 Jul 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Tue, 31 Jul 2012 00:00:00 IST