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| After 19 breaches in 7 months, Antony asks Pak to behave | | | New Delhi | July 29
With as many as 19 violations of the Line of Control (LoC) recorded since January this year, India on Tuesday told Pakistan to respect the 2003 ceasefire agreement between the two countries.
"The increase in ceasefire violations and firings across the LoC is a matter of concern to India," Defence Minister A K Antony said in a statement, a day after Army troops repulsed a Pakistani incursion in the Nowgam sector of northern Kashmir, which left one Indian soldier dead.
Attributing the large number of violations with attempts to infiltrate militants, Antony said the situation along the 742-km LoC is being constantly reviewed.
"Keeping in view the increased attempts to infiltrate, the counter-infiltration grid in the State has been suitably strengthened by our troops to check such incidents."
The Defence Minister told Islamabad that it should strictly adhere to the existing mechanism for dealing with violations by holding local flag meetings and Director General of Military Operations (DGMO)-level talks.
The minister's strong statement came as India and Pakistan held battalion-level flag meeting at the intrusion site. New Delhi also lodged a protest when DGMO Lt Gen A S Sekhon got in touch with his Pakistani counterpart through the hotline.
While maintaining that India is keeping "adequate restraint" to prevent escalation of tensions, Antony asserted that India is fully prepared to deal with any such instances "firmly."
Most of the 19 ceasefire violations have taken place in Poonch and Rajouri areas of Jammu. There have also been violations in Uri, Kupwara, Tanghdar, Machail and Gurez sectors. Army sources said that most of these violations were in June and July.
The firing from both sides continued throughout Monday night. Though the Indian statement did not give any figure of casualties on the Pakistani side, well-informed ministry officials said that four Pak soldiers were killed with one body found on the Indian side of LoC.
The body of Sepoy Mahesh from the 22 Rajput Regiment, who was hit by a Pakistani bullet, was found from a ditch, defence sources said. The body will be flown back to his hometown Rewari in Haryana for cremation with military honours.
With the firing ceasing at 5 am, the two sides held a local flag meeting. Giving details of the incident, ministry officials said that at 3.30 pm on Monday, a Pakistani patrol with a strength of 10 to 12 persons approached India's surveillance detachment about 300 metres on Indian side of the LoC. Objecting to the detachment's location, the Pakistani patrol asked for a meeting with the Indian officer commanding it.
"During the interaction, one of the Pakistani soldiers, possibly on sighting an Indian patrol in the vicinity, opened fire which fatally injured the sentry at the post," officials said. This led to opening of fire in retaliation by the Indian troops. Then the Pakistani post nearby opened "unprovoked" firing on the Indian post.
However, refuting India's contention that its troops had crossed the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir Pakistan today denied claims that four of its soldiers were killed in the exchange of fire.
Military spokesman Maj Gen Athar Abbas refuted the Indian Army's stand that Pakistani troops had crossed 200 metres into the Indian side of the LoC in Kupwara sector, sparking an exchange of fire yesterday. "No Pakistani soldier had crossed the LoC," he said.
Indian soldiers "wanted to establish a forward post in the area on the Pakistani side of the LoC" which was objected to by Pakistani soldiers, Abbas agencies. Following Pakistan's objection, "Indian troops opened indiscriminate and unprovoked fire" and this was "immediately responded to" by the Pakistani troops, he said.
The firing continued intermittently last night and was still on till this afternoon, Abbas said.
Indian Army officials yesterday said a group of about 12 Pakistani soldiers crossed the LoC and asked Indian troops to vacate an observation post at Khayan area.
This sparked a verbal duel following which the Pakistani troops opened fire, killing a soldier of the Rajput Regiment, they said.
The Indian officials also said four Pakistani soldiers were killed in the clashes but Abbas denied the report of causalities on the Pakistani side. Abbas also said the Pakistan Army had "material evidence to suggest that the Indian soldiers had crossed the LoC and wanted to establish a post on the Pakistani side of the LoC". |
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