Indian forces were searching for missiles today after recovering a surface-to-air missile and launcher from a suspected rebel hideout in Kashmir, the first such seizure since rebellion broke out there in 1989.
A defence official said an army patrol found the Pakistani-made surface-to-air missile launcher and a warhead, wrapped in plastic, yesterday at a militant hideout in the border district of Kupwara.
"The missile launcher with a marking of Anza Mark-I inscribed on it was obviously brought by terrorists to target a helicopter or an aircraft. These missiles are available with the Pakistani military," the official told reporters.
A senior police official said a search was on for similar weapons in the state after Saturday's recovery.
"Searches for the weapon have been going on," the police official said. "We have to intensify our operations so that deadly weapons like missiles are seized well in time to avert any major tragedy."
The Indian army claims that Pakistan has been supplying missiles to rebels fighting in Kashmir, but this is the first time it has recovered one.
India accuses Pakistan of arming and training rebels fighting its rule in Kashmir. Pakistan says it only gives moral and diplomatic support to what it calls a legitimate Kashmiri struggle for self-determination.