The Indian Army has been given all freedom to “effectively retaliate” against every ceasefire violation by Pakistan along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir and maintain sanctity of the LoC, Defence Minister A K Antony informed Parliament on Monday.
“The Army is taking all possible steps to counter and effectively retaliate against every ceasefire violation by Pakistan. They are doing everything to protect the sanctity of the LoC,” Antony said.
Within hours of the defence minister’s statement in the Rajya Sabha, Army chief Gen Bikram Singh briefed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the LoC situation and retaliatory operations undertaken by the Indian troops. The Army chief’s 40-minute meeting with the prime minister at his residence was “unscheduled.”
Following the killing of five Indian soldiers, the Indian Army has stepped up its offensive, resulting in a series of ceasefire violations by Pakistan. Since August 6, twenty-four ceasefire violations have been reported in Jammu and Kashmir, including the one at Mendhar on Monday. With a range of five km, the mortars not only inflicted serious damages on the Pakistani forward posts and bunkers, but some of them may have landed close to the brigade headquarters on the Pakistani side, sources told Deccan Herald.
“We are taking the LoC situation very seriously. It will have consequences on our behaviour on the LoC. We understand the mood of Parliament. The entire House is behind the Army, which will protect the sanctity of the LoC,” Antony said.
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