BSF not to exchange sweets with Pak Rangers at Wagah border this Diwali

Amritsar: Amidst the escalating tension between India and Pakistan, the Border Security Force (BSF) will not be exchanging sweets with the Pakistan Rangers at the Attari-Wagah Border on Sunday on the occasion of Diwali.

This move by the BSF is in protest to the growing incidents of ceasefire violations across the Line of Control (LoC) and the International Border.

Ever since the Indian Army on September 29th carried out surgical strikes targeting terror launch pads in PoK, ceasefire violations are a daily norm along the LoC and five Indians, including four security personnel, have been killed and 34 injured since.

The Indian Army on Saturday launched retaliatory fire assaults at Pakistan Army positions, inflicting massive damage across the border by destroying four Pakistani posts in a massive assault across the Line of Control (LoC) in Keran Sector of Kupwara district in Jammu and Kashmir.

An Indian soldier was also killed on Friday and his body was mutilated by terrorists in an attack near the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir. The army had said "the incident will be responded to appropriately", adding the attackers had fled into Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir "under the cover of heavy firing by Pakistan army".

Sepoy Mandeep Singh, who died in the attack, was 27 years old. The attack took place under cover fire provided by the Pakistan Army. One terrorist was killed in the strike.

On October 21, the BSF killed seven Pakistan Rangers and a terrorist in Kathua and on October 25, around three Pakistani Army personnel were reportedly killed in retaliatory firing by Indian troops in the Noushera sector of Rajouri district.