Tension flares on Indo-Pak border
An Indian soldier was killed and 10 suspected intruders were shot dead as the army battled two groups of militants along the border with Pakistan yesterday, two days after an attack on a military camp in Kashmir.
With tension between New Delhi and Islamabad already heightened, Indian troops also exchanged fire with Pakistani soldiers in the Uri sector, close to the army's 12 Brigade headquarters which was attacked by militants on Sunday.
The Uri attack left 18 troopers dead and more than 20 injured.
“Two infiltration bids by militants from across the Line of Control [LoC] have been foiled in Uri and Naugam sectors today [yesterday],” an army spokesperson said, adding the gunfights were on.
One soldier was killed in Naugam, he added.
The spokesman refused to comment on the number of militants killed in the ongoing operations so far, but the Press Trust of India (PTI) news agency said 10 suspected militants had been killed in the incident.
The infiltration bids come as New Delhi and Islamabad are locked in a bitter diplomatic war of words following the Uri attack, which India has blamed on militants from Pakistan.
Pakistan has said it "categorically rejects" any involvement in the raid, calling Indian statements of its complicity "vitriolic and unsubstantiated."
Pakistan's army chief on Monday said the armed forces were closely watching the region and were prepared to respond to any threats from India.
The Indian army said it has recovered arms, ammunition and food and medicine packets with Pakistani markings during the combing operations at the military base in Uri.
It also alleged Pakistani troops were “distracting” Indian soldiers yesterday with cover fire to help the militants along the LoC, the de-facto border, sneak into the country.
According to an official in Srinagar, the firing from across the border lasted half an hour from 1:10pm. There was no damage from the firing that the army described as a violation of a 2003 ceasefire agreement.
In New Delhi, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh reviewed the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir with top officials, including national security adviser Ajit Doval and foreign secretary S Jaishankar.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lead a meeting of the cabinet committee on security today to discuss the Uri attack. Sources said the three service chiefs are likely to participate.
'CEASEFIRE VIOLATION'
Indian army spokesman Colonel Rajesh Kalia said there had been a "ceasefire violation" near Uri but gave no details.
"Small-arms exchange of fire is on in the area," a senior police officer told AFP on condition of anonymity.
But, in Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir, a Pakistani colonel said there was no firing along the Line of Control.
Pakistan's Foreign Office spokesman Nafees Zakaria reiterated that no shot had been fired by Pakistan, after Indian television channels said troops of both countries had exchanged fire.
"There seems to be some activity across the border but there has been no activity from our side, not one shot fired from here," he told Reuters.
Yesterday's exchange was the first since Sunday's attack, which the Indian army has blamed on Pakistan-based militant group Jaish-e-Mohammad.
The same group was implicated in an audacious assault on an Indian air force base in Pathankot in the northern state of Punjab in January. It left seven soldiers dead and dashed hopes of a revival of peace talks, which have been on ice ever since.
On Sunday, Home Minister Rajnath Singh accused Pakistan of "continued and direct support to terrorism and terrorist groups" and called for it to be internationally isolated.
INDIA'S NEW MISSILE TEST
Amid such a situation, India yesterday test-fired a new, long-range surface-to-air missile jointly developed with Israel from a defence base off the coast of eastern state of Odisha, reports our New Delhi Correspondent.
The missile was test-launched from a mobile launcher at the Integrated Test Range (ITR) in Chandipur, an official said.
The trial was successful and some more rounds of test are expected to be conducted shortly, the official said.
“Apart from the missile, the system includes a Multi Functional Surveillance and Threat Alert Radar [MF STAR] for detection, tracking and guidance of the missile,” the official said, adding the missile along with MF-STAR would provide the users the capability to neutralise any aerial threats.
NAWAZ SHARIF MEETS KERRY
Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif sought help from the US on Monday to resolve tensions between India and Pakistan, as he raised the issue of alleged human rights violations and killings in Kashmir.
Sharif met US Secretary of State John Kerry in New York during which he raised the Kashmir issue.
“The prime minister said that more than 107 people have been assassinated in Kashmir, thousands injured and worst human rights violations are being committed at the state level,” according to a readout of the meeting issued by Pakistan.
Sharif, who is in New York to attend the 71th Session of United Nations General Assembly, earlier called on the permanent members of the UN Security Council demanding that India should be forced to stop its alleged brutalities in Kashmir.
He has said he will highlight the Kashmir issue in his address at the UN General Assembly today.
According to a statement in the US State department website, Kerry reiterated the need for Pakistan to prevent all terrorists from using Pakistani territory as safe havens, while commending recent efforts by Pakistani security forces to counter extremist violence.
Both Sharif and Kerry expressed strong concern with recent violence in Kashmir -- particularly the army base attack, it read.
MODI FACES PRESSURE
After the Uri attack, Indian PM Narendra Modi faces pressure to launch a military response against suspected terrorist training camps inside Pakistan.
Sunday's predawn raid in Uri was the worst attack against the Indian army in the restive region in years, prompting Home Minister Rajnath Singh to label Pakistan a terrorist state.
After a more measured response of late to Pakistan provocations, analysts said Modi must retaliate in order to avoid a domestic backlash.
"He will respond militarily," said Deepak Sinha, a retired 30-year veteran of the army who helped train India's Special Forces. “There is no other option.”
Modi has criticised the last Congress government for being weak on Pakistan. Noting Modi's rhetoric on Pakistan, Sinha said: "He has to respond. If he doesn't, he is completely discredited."
'CORNERING PAKISTAN'
Meanwhile, Indian media reports that New Delhi has decided to up the ante against Pakistan on the global stage -- much like it did after the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack.
The government has decided to field External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, who is likely to raise the terror attacks in Uri and Pathankot in her speech at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
Sources said she is likely to deliver her address on September 26.
The speech will not be the only diplomatic move to corner Pakistan. Sources said the Indian mission to the UN will also set up bilateral meetings with a host of foreign ministers and other leaders representing various countries at the UN -- in a bid to highlight Pakistan's role in terrorist activities in Kashmir and other parts of India.
[Based on AFP, Bloomberg, Reuters and Indian news sites]
Comments