On Saturday, India is reportedly set to summon a senior diplomat from the Pakistani High Commission in New Delhi to register its protest over the alleged multiple ceasefire violations by the Pakistani troops along the Line of Control (LoC) a day ago.
According to reports, a strong protest was lodged on part of India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) with the Pakistani diplomat, by the Joint Secy PAI (Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran Desk) JP Singh. Meanwhile, Islamabad merely said that the Charge de Affaires Jawad Ali (Counsellor) was set to meet the MEA official.
The two sides are expected to hold talks on the 2003 Ceasefire Understanding; investigate this and other such incidents of ceasefire violations and maintain peace along the LoC and the Working Boundary
This comes a day after Pakistan summoned an Indian diplomat from the High Commission in Islamabad to discuss the “indiscriminate and unprovoked firing” in Rakhchikri and Khanjar Sectors on Thursday.
The two countries traded heavy fire on the LoC following ceasefire violations by Pakistan on Friday. The firing resulted in loss of lives on the both sides.
The heavy cross-border shelling by Pakistan along the LoC resulted in five security forces personnel and six civilians losing their lives. However, Indian troops retaliated strongly, killing eight Pakistani soldiers and injuring 12 others besides causing extensive damage to its infrastructure, officials and sources have said.
Four Indian Army personnel, a BSF sub-inspector and six civilians were killed while four security forces personnel and eight civilians were injured in the firing by Pakistan during the multiple ceasefire violations between Gurez and Uri sectors in Jammu and Kashmir, officials said.
The Pakistan army also resorted to heavy firing and shelling targeting villages and forward areas along the LoC in Poonch district, injuring seven people, including two Army porters, they said.
A number of videos released by the Indian Army showed destruction of several Pakistani positions and bunkers across the LoC with some of them going up in flames following the Indian retaliation.
According to intercepts of Pakistan Army’s communication, those killed included two commandos from its Special Service Group, the sources said.
In addition, a number of Pakistan Army bunkers, fuel dumps and terrorist launch pads across the LoC were destroyed and set on fire, they said.
Two civilians were killed in Kamalkote sector, also in Uri, while a woman was killed in Balkote area in Haji Peer sector, the officials added.
They said apart from various places in Uri, the ceasefire violations were reported from Izmarg in Gurez sector of Bandipora district and Keran sector of Kupwara district.
A defence official in Jammu said Pakistani troops violated ceasefire twice in Poonch district.
(With agency inputs)