BackArmy giving apt response to terror attacks: Rajnath Singh
Home minister Rajnath Singh's comments come in the wake of Sunday's attack on an army camp in Baramulla, in which one BSF trooper was killed
Premium
Union home minister Rajnath Singh on Monday said Indian security forces were delivering an apt response to Pakistan-based terrorist groups following Sunday night’s attack on two adjoining camps of the Indian Army and the Border Security Force (BSF) in Baramulla, Jammu and Kashmir.
“Our security forces are giving a befitting reply," Singh told reporters in Leh, where he is on a two-day visit, when asked how the government planned to react.
This is Singh’s fourth visit to the state since protests broke out in the Kashmir valley following the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani by security forces on 8 July.
“Whatever problems the people face here, we will try to resolve them," he said.
On Sunday night, two terrorists and a BSF personnel were killed, while one BSF trooper was injured, when the armed militants attacked two adjoining camps of the army and the paramilitary force in Baramulla, leading to a fierce gun-battle.
The attack came close on the heels of the Indian Army’s surgical strikes on terror launch pads across the Line of Control (LoC) in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) last week. Pakistan has denied that these strikes took place.
Following the surgical strikes, Pakistan, the Indian Army claims, has violated at least eight times the ceasefire that exists between the two countries. According to the army, the latest violation took place on Monday morning when the Pakistan Army opened fire on forward areas along the LoC in Poonch district of Jammu—the third such incident in less than 16 hours.
“Pakistan had yesterday resorted to firing and shelling along the LoC in forward areas in Pallanwala belt of Jammu district. On 1 October, Pakistani troops had shelled Indian posts and civilian areas with mortar bombs, RPGs (rocket-propelled grenades) and HMGs (heavy machine guns) amid small arms firing along LoC this sector. On 30 September, the Pakistani troops had opened fire from small arms along the LoC in Pallanwala, Chaprial and Samnam areas of Akhnoor sector of Jammu district. On 29 September, the Pakistan troops had resorted to firing in Balnoi area of Mendhar sector. The Pakistani troops had violated the ceasefire on 28 September by opening fire on Indian Army posts along LoC in Sabzian area of Poonch sector," the Press Trust of India reported, citing Indian army officials.
Analysts said the ceasefire violations may not be a direct consequence of last week’s Indian Army strikes on terrorist launch pads. “There have always been violations. There could be some escalations but there’s nothing to really suggest the recent violations are a fallout of the strikes," said Ajai Sahni, executive director of the Institute of Conflict Management in New Delhi.
On Monday, the Pakistani daily The News International reported that the two nations’ national security advisers held a meeting in a bid to defuse escalating tension along the LoC. “Both officials stressed on the need to establish contact to reduce tensions along the Line of Control," the paper quoted Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s adviser on foreign affairs, Sartaz Aziz as saying.
Former Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf in an interview on Sunday blamed Sharif’s “wrong policies" for Pakistan being globally isolated.
The Indian Army’s surgical strikes followed an 18 September attack on an army garrison in Uri, Jammu and Kashmir, in which 18 Indian soldiers were killed. India said the attack had been carried out by terrorists based in PoK, and launched a diplomatic offensive against the neighbour.
Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed – it's all here, just a click away! Login Now!
