Pakistan violates ceasefire again, fifth time since flag meeting

Pakistan's Foreign Minister, Hina Rabbani Khar, has alleged that there is "war mongering coming from across the border." She added that while her country is committed to peace and making relations with India normal, "statements coming in from the highest levels in India, that up the ante, are disappointing."   

Ms Khar spoke in New York soon after Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, in his first direct comments since two Indian soldiers were brutally killed by Pakistani troops last week, said  yesterday that it "cannot be business as usual" with Islamabad given the current situation. Speaking to NDTV, the Prime Minister said, "Those responsible for this crime will have to be brought to book" and hoped "Pakistan realises this". Dr Singh was referring to the mutilation of the bodies of the two Indian jawans, Lance Naik Hemraj Singh and Lance Naik Sudhakar Singh; Hemraj Singh's body was beheaded.

On Tuesday evening, Pakistani troops targeted two Indian army posts along the LoC in the Mendhar sector of Jammu and Kashmir. Less than an hour later, there was a fresh round of firing in the Krishna Ghati sector. The firing lasted for a brief period and Indian troops did not retaliate, Army spokesperson RK Palta said, adding there was no loss of life or injury to anyone.

The Pakistan Army's media arm alleged this morning that Indian troops violated the ceasefire on the LoC and "carried out unprovoked firing" in Hotspring and Jandrot sectors. The firing continued from 10 pm to 11 pm Pakistan time killing one soldier at Kundi post, the statement added.

Visa-on-arrival to senior Pakistani citizens at the Wagah-Attari border was put on hold yesterday. External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid, though, said that the process - part of the much-hyped liberalised visa regime between the two nations - has not been "called off", but has just been "deferred". But Ms Khar alleged that India was "going back on existing relaxed visa regime". "This is not a tit for tat," she said.

Ms Khar has also said that the remarks made by Indian Army Chief Gen Bikram Singh last week were "very hostile". Talking tough over the January 8 incident, Gen Singh has said that the beheading of Indian soldiers was "unacceptable" and "most unpardonable" and that Indian troops would respond "immediately, aggressively and offensively" if provoked. He also said that India reserves the right to retaliate at the "time and place of its choice".

Reacting to his comments, Ms Khar said, "We were not very pleasantly surprised by the comments that we heard from many political leaders in India also. I think this is what has changed in Pakistan where India needs to catch up."

New Delhi has expressed unhappiness with the outcome of a flag meeting that was held between Indian and Pakistani army commanders in the Poonch sector of Kashmir on Monday. At the meeting, India lodged a strong protest against the repeated ceasefire violations by Pakistan along the Line of Control (LoC) and also expressed concern at the barbaric way Pakistani troops treated the bodies of the Indian soldiers. But the Pakistani side, the Army said, denied all charges and was "adamant and arrogant" in its attitude, despite India giving them photographic evidence of mines placed by Pakistani troops in Indian territory.

The tension along the LoC has hit sporting ties between the two countries. Yesterday, a decision was taken to send back nine Pakistani players who were in India to play in the inaugural Hockey India League tournament.  This decision was closely followed by reports that the Pakistani women's cricket team is also unlikely to travel to India for the World Cup later this month.

There is uncertainty, too, over the fate of the meeting of Commerce Ministers of India and Pakistan, scheduled later this month. Government sources say that New Delhi is closely watching the situation and will decide on its next step, depending on Islamabad's response. The internal political turmoil in Pakistan is also likely to be a factor, sources have added.