Pakistan Today

7 soldiers martyred as India resorts to unprovoked firing along LoC

Seven Pakistani soldiers were martyred when India’s Border Security Forces (BSF) resorted to unprovoked firing  along the Line of Control (LoC) near Bhimbar sector on Sunday night in a fresh violation of the ceasefire agreement, the Inter-service Public Relation (ISPR) said.

According to the military’s media wing Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Pakistani troops befittingly responding to Indian fire.

“Seven soldiers embraced shahadat at the LoC in the Bhimber sector in a ceasefire violation by Indian troops late last night.”

Pakistani troops responded to ‘unprovoked’ Indian firing, and targeted Indian posts effectively, ISPR said.

-Army chief orders soldiers to continue responding-

Army chief General Raheel Sharif directed Pakistan Army soldiers deputed at the Line of Control (LoC) to continue to ‘effectively’ respond to India’s unprovoked firing across the border.

According to the military’s media wing, General Raheel during a briefing in Jhelum said the army will leave no stone “unturned to defend the motherland”.

The army chief was in Jhelum to attend the funeral prayers of seven soldiers killed in Indian firing along LoC on late Sunday.

-PM condemns LoC violation-

Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif expressed grief over the loss of precious human lives due to the LoC violation by Indian forces, said a statement from the PM’s House.

Paying tribute to the soldiers killed, the Prime Minister termed it extremely unfortunate that Indian forces have continuously violated ceasefire agreement in recent days.

“We are fully capable of defending our soil against any aggression. Indian forces have resorted to escalating tension on LoC only to distract the world’s attention from the grave human rights situation in Indian Occupied Kashmir (IoK).”

The premier said Indian forces have inflicted unspeakable atrocities against the unarmed and innocent people of IoK. “There is an indigenous uprising against Indian occupation, and the Indian government is failing to read the writing on the wall.”

Nawaz said those that sacrificed their lives in defending the motherland would always be remembered and held in the highest esteem.

-‘India heating up situation’-

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, responding to the latest development along the shared Pak-India border, claimed that India was heating the situation up along the LoC and Working Boundary due to internal compulsions.

The defence minister said it was regrettable that certain extremist elements which had come into power in India could become a source of destruction not only of their own country but the whole region.

Asif urged the global community to take notice of “Indian provocations against Pakistan” as any escalation of tension between the two nuclear-armed neighbours could prove catastrophic for the whole region.

He added that Pakistan is using diplomatic and international forums to highlight Indian ‘belligerence’.

The latest incident of cross-border firing came as tensions simmer between Pakistan and India over the Kashmir issue. Pakistani authorities last week lodged protests with India as well as with the UN military observers over the targeting of civilian populations as the civilian death toll from Indian shelling has risen to at least 25 in the past few weeks. Another 103 have been injured.

Frequent incidents of cross-border fire have been witnessed since a heightened situation in occupied Kashmir. More than 100 protesters have lost their lives to the security forces in the valley while dozens blinded by use of pellet guns.

The two countries have been at loggerheads since the killing of a populist rebel leader Burhan Wani by the occupied forces on July 8.

India also accuses Pakistan of being involved in an attack on an army base in Uri on September 18, in which 19 Indian soldiers were killed. Islamabad has denied the charge, which Delhi levelled without any substantial investigation or evidence.

The Pakistani FO protested at least five times during the past five weeks over the targeting of civilian populations.

 

 

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