The ambush on six Indian soldiers by the Pakistani Army along the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch District have marred the Eid celebrations in the area on Friday in Jammu and Kashmir.
The usual exchange of sweets along the LoC did not take place on Friday as villagers in the area said that they felt betrayed by Pakistan after the incident hampered the peace process between the two countries.
"It is sad that, on the one hand, we are extending the hand of friendship, while on the other hand they undertake such dastardly acts. When there is peace, they infiltrate and kill our soldiers and this is just intolerable. We do not want that the same attitude should be adopted with them. We do not even feel like offering them sweets since they have betrayed us," said Firdosh Ahmed Mir, a resident of Poonch.
Meanwhile, the Commanding Officer of the 39 RR Regiment, Suresh Kumar, said that brotherhood and communal harmony within the country should be strengthened in light of the LoC killings.
"Like every year, this year also we celebrated Eid with the same spirit and we want to spread the message of brotherhood. We hope that brotherhood and communal harmony should be strengthened in the country," said Kumar.
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India has directly accused the Pakistan Army for the incident that killed five Indian soldiers and injured one on Tuesday morning. The Central government has also said that the incident will strain the Indo-Pak relationship and they will proceed with "caution."
Pakistan has denied the involvement of its troops in the ambush on six Indian soldiers.
Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh was scheduled to meet his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif in New York in September, but Tuesday's incident has triggered doubts whether India will pursue talks.
Nawaz Sharif, who had earlier publicly expressed his desire to mend relations with India, on Thursday said that he looked forward to meeting Dr. Manmohan Singh in the United States of America next month, while condemning the Jammu and Kashmir incident.
However, External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid kept Islamabad guessing on the UPA-led government's decision to pursue talks by saying that the country will have to proceed with "caution.
