New Delhi: A furious India on Sunday summoned Pakistan high commissioner Abdul Basit and conveyed its strong protest and “anger” over unprovoked firing by Pakistani troops and “systematic targeting” of the civilian population along the Line of Control as shelling left six persons dead in the past two days.
India said Pakistani troops were using artillery to shell Indian positions. New Delhi conveyed to Islamabad “that the Pakistan government needed to take necessary steps to ensure that the Pakistan military does not undermine peace and tranquillity along the International Border and the LoC”.
But Pakistan hit back, alleging “close to 70 ceasefire violations” by India and demanding “a more effective mechanism in place to determine who indulges in these unprovoked firing”. Defence minister Manohar Parrikar said in Bilaspur that India was giving a “befitting” reply to Pakistan, that was engaged in continuous truce violations. “Hum unhe muhtod jawab de rahen hai.
Hamara response dugna-tiguna hai (We are giving them a befitting reply. Our response is double-triple (in intensity),” the minister was reported to have said. There is a strong feeling in the external affairs ministry that by upping the ante on the border, the Pakistan Army is trying to provoke India into cancelling the NSA-level talks between the two countries to be held on August 23 in order to send a message to the international community that it is India that doesn’t want talks.
For now, the government seems determined not to fall into this Pakistani trap, and will go ahead with the talks. Indian government sources indicated on Sunday that the talks would be held as scheduled. In a strongly-worded statement from New Delhi, the MEA said: “The high commissioner of Pakistan was summoned to the MEA on Sunday.
Secretary (East) Anil Wadhwa lodged a protest and conveyed our anger at the unprovoked firing by Pakistani troops since August 8, particularly regarding the incidents of Saturday and Sunday in Poonch that saw the systematic targeting of our civilian populations and the use of high-calibre weapons”. It added that assurances were received from Pakistan military authorities that the firing would stop. However, the firings have continued till Sunday.
