The bodies of the five Indian soldiers, who were killed earlier this week
Less than a week after five soldiers were killed in an ambush at the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir and despite Islamabad's call for steps to ensure truce, Pakistan has violated the ceasefire agreement thrice in the last 24 hours. Firing continued through the night in the Durga sector of Poonch in the Kashmir valley and is still on.
Pakistani soldiers have targeted several Indian posts in the sector. On Sunday, they had attacked five posts in Mendhar and some in the Kanachak sector.
The two sides exchanged fire for around seven hours on Sunday. The Pakistani Army had also attacked Indian posts on Saturday. A Defence spokesperson said this has been the "biggest ceasefire violation" in recent times.
On the intervening night between Monday and Tuesday last week, Pakistani troops ambushed a patrol party of the Indian Army, killing five soldiers, and injuring a sixth in the Poonch sector, 200 km south of Srinagar. A Border Security Force or BSF jawan was injured in the incident and he died in a Delhi hospital on Sunday. (
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That incident and the repeated ceasefire violations by Pakistani soldiers since have cast a shadow on bilateral talks, including a meeting planned between the Prime Ministers of the two countries on the sideline of a United Nations session in New York next month.
BJP president Rajnath Singh said yesterday, "Pakistan has crossed all limits. The attacks at the Line of Control can be prevented if the government takes the right steps. The Prime Minister should announce no talks will take place with Pakistan."
Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has said that it is imperative for both India and Pakistan to restore ceasefire on the Line of Control. He has offered talks on steps to strengthen existing mechanisms at the political and military levels and has said he hopes his meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New York will take place. New Delhi is so far non-committal.
The killing of the five soldiers had created an uproar in Parliament with Defence Minister AK Antony, in a second statement, stating they were carried out by specialised troops from Pakistan. His first statement absolved the Pakistani army, in contradiction with one issued by the Defence Ministry.