Indian border violations will meet a befitting reply: Gen Raheel

COAS lauds ‘high spirits of soldiers’ and ‘resolve of local residents’

Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif visited working boundary in Sialkot on Thursday — days ahead of talks with India — and warned that any provocation along the line of control (LOC) and working boundary will meet a befitting response.

During his visit, the army chief was briefed about the latest security situation in the area.

Addressing the troops and local population, the army chief said that the ceasefire violations by Indian army on working boundary and LoC in recent past are an effort to distract Pakistan Army from its operation against terrorism — and this affects regional stability.

“Let there be no doubt that any provocation along LOC and working boundary will meet a befitting response,” he said. Gen Sharif expressed solidarity with the local villagers affected by Indian ceasefire violations and paid rich tributes to their resilience.

The army chief lauded the high spirits of troops and the resolve of local residents. “The nation stands united for the defence of motherland,” the army chief asserted.

More than a dozen civilians were killed and 50 others were injured by the cross border firing at LoC and the Working Boundary (WB) few months ago.

In December 2013, Pakistan and India had pledged to uphold the 2003 LoC ceasefire accord which had been left in tatters by repeated violations that year. The truce breaches had put the nascent bilateral peace dialogue on hold.

The Himalayan territory of Kashmir is divided between India and Pakistan by the UN-monitored de facto border of LoC but is claimed in full by both the countries.

Ceasefire violations along the LoC and Working Boundary between Pakistan and India continue intermittently, with casualties reported on both sides.