File picture of Indian Army soldiers patrolling along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir
Jammu:
Pakistan has violated the ceasefire at the Line of Control (LoC) yet again. In what is the fifth ceasefire violation in less than 48 hours, the Pakistani army opened fire at several posts of the Indian Army in the Mendhar sector. Small arms and automatic weapons were used.
Just a couple of hours before that, Pakistani army targeted the Kotha post of Border Security Force (BSF) in Samba sector in Jammu and Kashmir.
Pakistani soldiers had also targeted several Indian posts over the weekend. On Sunday, they had attacked five posts in Mendhar and some in the Kanachak sector of Jammu and Kashmir.
Pakistan has violated the ceasefire agreement at the LOC in Kashmir six times in four days, four of those attacks on various Indian Army posts in the last 48 hours, despite Islamabad's call for steps to ensure truce.
India expects incidents of ceasefire violation by Pakistan to increase in the next few months ahead of general elections and to coincide with a change at the top in the Pakistani Army.
Defence Minister AK Antony said today that the Indian armed forces are "free to respond to the developing conditions at the border appropriately."
Defence Ministry sources say they expect Pakistan's Army to step up hostilities at the border with general elections in India just months away. Also, the sources say, Pakistan's Army Chief General Ashfaq Kayani is expected to retire in November and seems to be flexing muscle to send a message to the civilian government in Pakistan, led by newly elected Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. (Read: India expects more violence instigated by Pak in run up to elections, say sources)
Pakistan has also been known to favour the strategy of pushing through as many militants as possible before the mountain passes of the Himalayas close with the onset of winters and use the skirmishes at the border as cover for the infiltration attempts.
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.
Just a couple of hours before that, Pakistani army targeted the Kotha post of Border Security Force (BSF) in Samba sector in Jammu and Kashmir.
Pakistani soldiers had also targeted several Indian posts over the weekend. On Sunday, they had attacked five posts in Mendhar and some in the Kanachak sector of Jammu and Kashmir.
Pakistan has violated the ceasefire agreement at the LOC in Kashmir six times in four days, four of those attacks on various Indian Army posts in the last 48 hours, despite Islamabad's call for steps to ensure truce.
India expects incidents of ceasefire violation by Pakistan to increase in the next few months ahead of general elections and to coincide with a change at the top in the Pakistani Army.
Defence Minister AK Antony said today that the Indian armed forces are "free to respond to the developing conditions at the border appropriately."
Defence Ministry sources say they expect Pakistan's Army to step up hostilities at the border with general elections in India just months away. Also, the sources say, Pakistan's Army Chief General Ashfaq Kayani is expected to retire in November and seems to be flexing muscle to send a message to the civilian government in Pakistan, led by newly elected Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. (Read: India expects more violence instigated by Pak in run up to elections, say sources)
Pakistan has also been known to favour the strategy of pushing through as many militants as possible before the mountain passes of the Himalayas close with the onset of winters and use the skirmishes at the border as cover for the infiltration attempts.
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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