India Will Continue To Give ‘Befitting’ Reply To Pakistan: Army Vice-Chief

The issue is likely to come up during weekly talks on the hotline between Pakistan and Indian Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) on Tuesday.

Pakistan on Monday summoned Indian Deputy High Commissioner JP Singh and lodged a formal protest over the recent ceasefire violations that resulted in the martyrdom of two civilians and injuries to seven others, including two children.

They were identified as Captain Kapil Kundu, 23, from Haryana, 43-year-old Havildar Roshan Lal from Jammu and Kashmir, Rifleman Ram Avtar, 28, from Madhya Pradesh, and 23-year-old Rifleman Shubam Singh from Jammu and Kashmir.

The senator said hearts of Kashmiri people beat with Pakistan and they had expressed it at many occasions.

Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister and National Conference Patron Farooq Abdullah reacted on frequent ceasefire violations on Sunday and asked if Pakistan is the only one who’s firing?. Indian army had also retaliated with force.

Speaking at another event, the defence minister said that Islamabad retains the right to decide the measure and modicum of response to ceasefire violations by India.

The Army has indicated it would take retaliatory action. According to data provided by the Union home ministry, there were a total of 583 cases of ceasefire violations along the International Border (IB) and the LoC in 2014, 405 in 2015, 449 in 2017, and 840 in 2017.

On Sunday, four Indian soldiers were killed and four others were injured in firing in Rajouri and Poonch districts. In the process, six Pakistani Army personnel, including a Major rank officer, were killed.

Lt Gen Sarath Chand, the Army’s Vice-Chief, said the Army has been responding appropriately to Pak ceasefire violations.

Artillery duels were a regular feature in this mountainous region until 2003, when both sides agreed to a ceasefire, but the ceasefire began unravelling in 2013 after diplomatic and political ties between the rivals deteriorated.

Over 300 schools along the militarized border were ordered closed for the next three days.