Pak violates ceasefire hours after talking about peace

Hours after top officials of the Border Security Force (BSF) and Pakistani Rangers agreed to defuse border flare-up, the Rangers traded heavy fire along the international border (IB) in Jammu.

“Pakistani troops resorted to unprovoked firing at the BSF outposts in Arnia, Ramgarh and Chamliyal areas of Jammu. The firing started at 10 pm. The BSF retaliated effectively. No casualty or damage was caused on our side,” a BSF official said.

The latest ceasefire violation came barely a few hours after top officials of the BSF and Pakistani Rangers had a telephonic conversation on Sunday to end the latest border flare-up after both sides suffered the loss of lives and machinery in the heavy exchange of fire along the border in Jammu last week.

The ceasefire violations and attempts to infiltrate the IB increased last week as Pakistan continued to target Indian border outposts (BoPs) and civilian areas.

On May 18, a BSF trooper and four civilians were killed while a dozen others were injured after Pakistan Rangers fired mortars at BoPs and civilian areas along the IB in R S Pura and Arnia sub-sectors of Jammu.

Since the beginning of this year, the number of people killed in over 800 incidents of Pakistani shelling along the IB and Line of Control (LoC) in the state has risen to 38. The victims include 18 security personnel and 20 civilians.

Sources said that Pakistani troops were keeping the pot boiling on the IB and the LoC as they want to push heavily armed militants into the Indian side under the cover of ceasefire violations.

“Majority of ceasefire violations by Pakistani troops were either aimed at targeting civilians or aiding and abetting infiltration attempts by the militants,” they said.

“Indian troops have been maintaining high alert not only during ceasefire violations but 24×7 as there have been inputs that several militants at launching pads on the Pakistan side have further increased in the last half of May after an improvement in weather conditions on the higher reaches,” sources added.