Ceasefire violations: Politicians urge India to give befitting reply to Pak

Cutting across party lines, leaders of various political outfits on Wednesday urged the Central Government to act tough with Pakistan, as the country lost another soldier in a recent ceasefire violation along the Line of Control in Poonch.

In a show of major aggression, Pakistani troops fired guns and mortars on at least 50 Indian border posts overnight in Kashmir, killing one jawan and injuring six others.

Condemning the attack, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Prakash Javadekar said that such incidents are not acceptable and India should send a strong message to Pakistan.

"Now yesterday, when our Home Minister was there on the international border and the Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister, they (Pakistan) are doing it again, killing our soldiers. Everyday, we are listening one soldier is getting seriously injured, admitted to hospitals or somebody dies. This is unacceptable," said Javadekar.

"Now, India must take the further course of action which will prohibit Pakistan from doing what they are doing now," he added.

Janata Dal (United) leader Sabir Ali dubbed Pakistan's military as 'notorious' and blamed them for intentionally poking India at the international border.

"Pakistan has always had a dual governance trend. One is democratic and the other is led by the military. Pakistan's military is very notorious, their intentions towards India has always been malicious. They believe in poking India. Pakistan has a different way of functioning," said Ali.

Janata Dal (United) K. C. Tyagi on his part said that there should be no compromise at the border.

"There should be no compromise on the question of security at the border. The Prime Minister should act strong on the issue," said Tyagi.

Heavy firing went on till late in the night in all the six sectors along the border, particularly in RS Pura and Pargawal.

According to reports, a mortar shell fired by the Pakistan Rangers fell at Chenaz post of 193 BSF in Arnia sector at 11.30 p.m. last night killing a BSF jawan.

On the Line of Control (LoC) also, Pakistan Army resorted to heavy shelling and firing at Balakote, Mankote, Mendhar and Bhimber Gali sectors in Poonch district during the day yesterday.

The unprovoked firing and shelling by Pak Rangers took place barely hours after the visit of Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde and Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to Samba and Hiranagar sectors to review the situation.

Shinde told Border Security Force (BSF) personnel yesterday that the government was firmly behind them.

"We have come here to promise you that we stand by you, the country stands by you," Shinde told the Indian soldiers as he visited the forward posts in Samba sector of Jammu and Kashmir.

Shinde had earlier expressed concern over repeated ceasefire violations from across the border along the LoC, and said he would be visiting the area to assess the situation on ground.

"We have sufficient information that there has been an infiltration. This might be the result of decisions taken by the Indian Government against militants in the past few years," he told media on the sidelines of a function here.

The Home Minister had also rejected third party intervention on Kashmir. He said that the Indian Government has consistently maintained that there can be no third party interference in bilateral matters between India and Pakistan.

"Our stand has always been that when it is a matter between two countries, the third country cannot participate in it. This has been our viewpoint right the time of Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru and even today our view is the same," Shinde said, when asked about Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif hinting at seeking US intervention in resolving the Kashmir issue.