'Pak Army answerable for mutilation'

Threats across border: Increase in fire artillery may be an option

Pakistan Army will have to take full responsibility of the dastardly act of mutilating the bodies of two Indian soldiers and face the consequences, a top Army commander said on Tuesday, without disclosing the military options on the table.

“I would not like to spell out what we are going to do. We will take our own action at a time and place of our choice. Pakistan army will have to take the responsibility and face consequences,” Army Vice Chief Lt Gen Sarath Chand said here on the sidelines of a function.

The stern message from Chand comes at a time when the Indian Army was readying its plans to respond to the killing and mutilation of two Indian soldiers in the Poonch sector of Jammu and Kashmir on Monday.

Cross border-firing by small arms from both sides continued in the Krishna Ghati areas under 10 Brigade, even as top commanders plan for a bigger offensive.

An increase in the fire assault by using medium artillery and mortars may be an option, but the army sources are tight-lipped. The response would be a “well-thought-out one,” says a senior officer. The military response from the Indian side is likely to take place in areas where Indian forces occupy the dominating positions.

In November last, the Indian Army pounded a Pakistan Army camp and some of the civilian areas in the Neelam valley of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir with mortars to avenge the killing of three Indian Army soldiers in the Machhal sector, one of whom was beheaded. The trio was ambushed when they were on a patrol duty.

The fire assault triggered an immediate call from the Pakistan’s director general of military operations (DGCMO) from his Indian counterpart asking for truce.

The then Indian DGMO Lt Gen Ranbir Singh conveyed to the Pakistan commander not to indulge in such activities in future.

The LoC between the two nations witnessed heightened action in 2016 as it recorded 228 ceasefire violations across the LoC in addition to 221 such incidents along the international border, manned by the Border Security Force.

The number of ceasefire violations in 2014 and 2015 was 153 and 150, respectively, suggesting how the tension in the border flared up in the last 12 months.

As many as 65 ceasefire violations took place in the first four months of the 2017.  All of them happened in the area under Udhampur-based 16 Corps. Naushera and Krishna Ghati sectors are the places where maximum cross-border firings occurred since January.

The security forces killed 42 terrorists in 2017, out of which 8 were gunned down at the LoC.
DH News Service