Pakistan's violation of ceasefire an 'open challenge' to India: Congress

New Delhi: Questioning the timing of ceasefire violation by Pakistani troops in Jammu and Kashmir, Congress today said it was an "open challenge" to India.

"It is significant that these incidents are happening on a day when the Prime Minister is being briefed by the Army chief and a day before Defence Minister Arun Jaitley is going on a tour of that region,” party spokesperson Shakeel Ahmed told reporters here.

“This is an open challenge to India and the government of India. Whenever any such incident used to take place during our (UPA) regime, the current Prime Minister, who was heading his party's election campaign, used to say that the problem is not at the border but in the mind of the people sitting in Delhi,” he added.

“We want to ask today the Prime Minister, who had welcomed (Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif) and even exchanged gifts, on whether he has taken some lesson now after these incidents or not if it did not occur to him in the past," party spokesperson Shakeel Ahmed told reporters here,” he said.

Pakistan troops today violated the ceasefire by targeting Indian posts along the LoC in Poonch sector of Jammu and Kashmir with heavy firing and mortar shelling, drawing retaliation by Indian forces.

In Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah questioned the timing of the ceasefire violation a day ahead of Arun Jaitley's first visit to the state since assuming office.

The Prime Minister was today briefed by Army chief Gen Bikram Singh on the prevailing security situation and operational readiness of troops in a meeting which lasted for close to three hours.