India is giving befitting reply to Pakistani firing, says minister

India is giving befitting reply to  Pakistan, which is engaged in continuous  ceasefire violations along the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch and Rajouri of Jammu and Kashmir, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said Sunday.

“Hum unhe muhtod jawab de rahen hai. Hamara response dugna-tiguna hai... (We are giving them (Pakistan) a befitting reply. Our response is double-triple (in intensity),” the defense minister said.

He was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an event in Delhi.

There were ceasefire violations by Pakistan in various sectors along the LoC in Poonch district for the eighth consecutive day Sunday. The intensified shelling on border posts and civilian area in Poonch and Rajouri has claimed six lives in the past two days, drawing strong protests from India.

Responding to a question on rising infiltration attempts by insurgents along the International Border with Pakistan, Parrikar said the government was putting up all measures to thwart such incidents.

“Owing to security reasons, I cannot furnish details on the issue but would surely like to tell that we are taking all measures to foil infiltration bids,” he said.

On the terrorist attack in Punjab last month wherein suspected Pakistani militants had entered India by crossing Ravi river, the minister said, “It’s a bit difficult to do fencing along Ravi river. But keeping in view the security there, several electronic measures are being adopted (to guard the international border).”

Pak High Commissioner summoned

India summoned Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit Sunday and lodged a strong protest over unabated ceasefire violations by Pakistani troops along LoC.

Basit was summoned to the external affairs ministry by Secretary East Anil Wadhwa who conveyed to the envoy India’s strong protest over the “unprovoked firing” by the Pakistani troops along the LoC.

Emerging from the meeting in South Block, a defiant Basit accused India of 70 ceasefire violations along the LoC and International Boundary in July and August and called for a more effective mechanism to determine who indulges in unprovoked firing.

“We are concerned about ceasefire violations. In the months of July and August, there have been close to 70 ceasefire violations from this side of the LoC and the working boundary. We are obviously very concerned about it.

“Our side would like to have a more effective mechanism in place so as to determine who indulges in these unprovoked firing,” Basit said.

There has been escalation of tension between the two countries following terror attacks in Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir and incidents of ceasefire violations ahead of talks between their National Security Advisers (NSAs).

Ties further soured recently with Pakistan refusing to invite Jammu and Kashmir Assembly speaker to a conference of Commonwealth Parliamentary Association. In protest, India has decided to boycott the meeting to be held in Islamabad from September 30 to October 8.

National Security Adviser Ajit Doval is scheduled to meet with his Pakistani counterpart Sartaz Aziz in Delhi for talks on terrorism-related issues for the first time on August 23, as decided in a meeting between Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Nawaz Sharif last month in Ufa, Russia.

During the talks, India is expected to present strong evidence of terrorism emanating from Pakistan highlighted further by the recent attacks in Gurdaspur in Punjab and near Udhampur in Jammu and Kashmir.

India’s case is bolstered by the capture of Mohammed Naved Yakub, a Pakistani national and a LeT operative, who carried out an attack on a BSF bus last week near Udhampur.