PTI
 
 
ISLAMABAD, Dec 26: Pakistan has moved fresh troops to the Line of Control in Pakistan occupied Kashmir and the international border with India to protect  "vital points", cancelled all leave for armed forces personnel and almost put a security alert into effect amidst escalating tensions in the region, according to media reports.

The forces have been moved to the LoC and the international border yesterday to protect vital points.

All leave for armed forces personnel has also been cancelled and a virtual security alert put into effect, military sources were quoted as saying by Dawn News channel.

Sources in the Defence Department declined to give details of fresh troop movements but did not deny reports that Pakistan was moving number of brigades towards the frontier in the Lahore sector, the Daily Times newspaper reported.

Reports said that the Pakistan Army had moved its 10th Brigade to Lahore and ordered the 3rd Armoured Brigade to head towards Jhelum alleging a concentration of Indian troops on the border.

The Army's 10th and 11th Divisions have also been put on high alert and troops moved to forward posts on the border facing Rajouri and Poonch sectors in Kashmir.

These troops reinforcement are in addition to the formation already deployed in the PoK, Sialkot and Lahore sector. The Pakistan army has an independent corps strength deployment in PoK as well as Jhelum.

There have also been reports in the Pakistani media that the Pakistan Air Force is in a state of high alert and was conducting aerial surveillance of the Chashma power plant and other sensitive sites amidst fears of a possible surgical strike by India in the wake of the Mumbai terror attacks.

The PAF enhanced its vigilance on Monday and scrambled warplanes to conduct sorties over cities like Islamabad, Rawalpindi and Lahore as well as Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

In recent public comments, Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh have both ruled out a war between the two countries.

India has been asking Pakistan to crack down on elements in the country which were linked to the Mumbai attacks that killed over 180 people.

Pakistan has said it is waiting for India to provide evidence to take forward its probe into the Mumbai incident.