India Takes a Tough Stand on Ceasefire Violations by Pakistan

Modi said: “The enemy has realized that times have changed and their old habits will not be tolerated.

JAMMU (TIP): India has taken a tough stand on Pakistan violating ceasefire in Jammu and Kashmir during the last nine days.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 9 said Indian soldiers had responded with courage to ceasefire violations by Pakistan while Defense Minister Arun Jaitley called Pakistan the “aggressor” which would have to bear an “unaffordable” cost for its “adventurism.”

“The enemy has realized that times have changed and their old habits will not be tolerated,” Modi said. Modi accused his political opponents of using the border situation for electoral gains.

“Issues like ceasefire violations should not be a matter of debate for political gains.”

Giving Pakistan a stern warning, Mr. Jaitley said Pakistan has “clearly been the aggressor.” “But it must realize that our deterrence will be credible. If Pakistan persists with this adventurism, our forces will make the cost of this adventurism unaffordable.”

The International Border between India and Pakistan which witnessed exchange of heavy firing for nine days has left eight persons dead and nearly 90 injured, including 13 security personnel. Besides over 32,000 people have fled from their border homes, leaving 113 hamlets deserted along the International Border.

India and Pakistan troops traded heavy fire along the IB on the intervening night of October 7 and 8 after Pakistan Rangers shelled almost the entire IB by targeting 60 Border Out Posts (BoPs) and over 130 border hamlets in Jammu, Samba and Kathua districts of Jammu and Kashmir, in which 15 people including 3 BSF jawans were injured. There have been over thee dozen ceasefire violations along IB since October one.

On October 8, two women of a family were killed and 15 others injured in heavy mortar shelling and firing by Pakistani troops along the IB.

Five villagers were killed and 34 injured on the intervening night of October five and six in heavy mortar shelling and firing from across the IB and LoC in Jammu and Poonch sectors, triggering strong condemnation by India.

On October 3, Pakistani troops and rangers violated ceasefire four times by shelling forward areas and villages along the LoC and IB in Gulmarg sector of Kashmir Valley and Poonch and Jammu sector in Jammu region in which a girl was killed and six persons were injured.

On October 2, Pakistani troops targeted border hamlets in forward areas along LoC in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district by shelling them with mortar bombs and firing resulting in injuries to six civilians.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had said October 8 that the only way for Pakistan to normalize the situation is to silence its guns.

“The easiest way, if Pakistan wants to normalize the situation, is to silence its guns. If they stop shelling, I am sure that everyone will stop from here. And that will put an end to this,” he said.

“Pakistan is deliberately targeting civilian areas and that is evident from the number of the casualties that have occurred on this side,” he had said.

To disrupt the upcoming Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, the militant leadership in Pakistan is desperate to push in large number of militants into the Indian side to carry out terrorism-related activities, Army officials have said.