Army Chief Gen Bikram Singh on Tuesday sought to reject the perception that the Keran incident was on the pattern of Kargil intrusion of 1999, saying it was just an infiltration bid by terrorists but suggested the complicity of Pakistan Army in the episode.

He insisted that terrorists were not occupying any higher ground but sitting in a “nallah” (rivulet) near the Line of Control in Kashmir valley.

“It was a desperate infiltration bid, which has been foiled,” Gen Singh told reporters in Hindan, Uttar Pradesh on the sidelines of the Air Force Day parade.

He was asked about the incident in Keran in Kashmir where the Army was engaged for the last 15 days with a group of 35-40 militants about 300-400 metres inside Indian territory having a supply-line to Pakistan-Occupied-Kashmir, an incident which reminded about the Kargil intrusion of 1999 when Indian posts were occupied.

“A large number of (TV) channels have talked about this being an intrusion. It is not. If this was intrusion, the adversary would go and occupy dominating ground which is defensible,” he said.

Seeking to downplay the incident, he said, “In this case, they were sitting in a nallah. Which adversary is going to dominate an area by sitting in the nallah?” At the same time, he suggested the complicity of Pakistan Army.

“On the LoC, we are in eyeball-to-eyeball situation. It is impossible for the terrorists to do any activity without Pakistan Army’s knowledge. There is no way that they can operate there without Pakistan Army… I am clear that no terror activity can take place along the LoC without Pakistan Army support,” he told a private news channel. Asked about evidence in this regard, the Army Chief said the terrorists were provided cover fire to infiltrate in Keran from Pakistani posts.