Sources in security and intelligence agencies told Express Newsline on Sunday that the mobilisation of Thar Rangers was done in an extremely clandestine manner, in the darkness of night, from their post at Viravar in the east (opposite Dantiwala in Banaskantha district) to Diplo and Badin in the north-west (opposite Khavada in Kutch). The stretch of Rann between these two Pakistani BOPs is about 300 km.

The reports say the Pakistani Army has asked the rangers to be on stand-by at their BOPs. ``We do not know about their intentions nor we have seen physical movement of their troops despite our increased vigilance, but signs seem ominous,'' a senior official said.

To a query, the sources said though the Rann was still inundated from the cyclone-induced rain and tidal water coming from the Arabian Sea through the Kori and other creeks, Pakistan had a capacity to flood the Rann by releasing water from the Indus river through the Dhoro Pran Dam to prevent advancement of Indian troops into Sindh as had happened in 1971.