JOIN USGovt gives Army free hand to take on Pak
India on Thursday hardened its response to Pakistan’s unprovoked firing across the International Border in Jammu region with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Arun Jaitley making it clear that troops have been given a free hand to retaliate against Pakistani firing in an aggressive manner.
“If Pakistan persists with this adventurism, our forces will make the cost of this adventurism unaffordable,” Jaitley said in a stern message to the neighbouring country.
He said India’s deterrence would be credible. “India is never an aggressor but at the same time it has a paramount duty to defend its people and its territory. Pakistan, in these attacks, has clearly been the aggressor.
Our armed forces, particularly the Army and the BSF in this case, have only one option that is to respond adequately and defend our territory and our people,” Jaitley said, articulating the government's stand.
Addressing an election rally in Maharashtra’s Baramati, Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave a clear signal to Islamabad that his government was not in a mood to bow down to the pressure tactics and blackmailing.
“When bullets are being fired on the border, it is the enemy that is screaming. Our jawans have responded to the aggression with courage. The enemy has realised that times have changed and their old habits will not be tolerated,” Modi said.
India kept up the pressure on diplomatic front, too. Pakistan’s Deputy High Commissioner Mansoor Khan was summoned by the Ministry of External Affairs on Tuesday.
Senior officials had lodged a strong protest on the ceasefire violations.
A day later, Islamabad, too, retaliated by summoning New Delhi’s deputy envoy J P Singh to lodge its protest. With India showing no sign of relenting from its aggressive response, Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has called for a meeting of the National Security Committee on Friday.
While an eerie calm now prevails on the LoC, several sectors on the 198 km long International Border in Jammu are on fire with troops from the BSF using 81 mm mortars and small arms to respond to the fire power from across the border.