Pakistani troops indulged in heavy firing at Indian positions without any provocation along the Line of Control in Balakote sector in Jammu and Kashmir as reported on Tuesday. As per reports, one Indian Army jawan has been killed in the shelling, while six others have been injured. The jawan killed in the mortar firing from Pakistani is said to be Lance Naik Firoj Khan as per latest reports. He is reported to have died due to splinter injuries.
Pakistani troops also fired at Indian positions without any provocation in Hamirpur area of the Mendhar sector of the LoC late on Monday evening, as per a defence spokesman. Colonel RK Palta said that Pakistani troops had used small arms, automatics and mortars. He also said that the Indian troops had responded accordingly.
External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid on Saturday ruled out kick-starting the dialogue process with Pakistan in the last leg of the UPA-II dispensation.
Mr. Khurshid has said, as to whether the recent tensions along the Line of Control with Pakistan had reduced the possibility of resuming bilateral dialogue – rekindled after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh met his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif in New York last month -- maintained that no time line had been agreed upon for resuming the `resumed composite dialogue’ but the routine things that are going on would continue.
However, the political-level engagement, according to him, was unlikely as both sides are aware that India is going into election mode. He further pointed out that India, too, had not engaged with Islamabad at the political level when Pakistan was headed for an election earlier this year.
India and Pakistan had signed a bilateral ceasefire in November 2003. However, of late ceasefire violations by Pakistan have been on the rise. India conveyed its concerns to its neighbour regarding the same when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh met his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York last month.
Singh had told Sharif that proper talks between the two countries could only be held after the issues of terror and cross-border terrorism would be addressed by Pakistan.
INDIA HONEST asks : how long India and Indian troops has to suffer the humiliation of getting our soldiers killed due to policy paralysis of this weak UPA government ?