No exchange of sweets at Attari border this Diwali
Jammu/ Amritsar: Pakistani Rangers on Sunday pounded BSF posts and civilian areas using small arms and mortars shells in continuous ceasefire violations along the International Border (IB) in Samba, Kathua and Jammu districts, prompting BSF to retaliate.
“Unprovoked” firings resumed along the International Border (IB) in R S Pura sector of Jammu district this evening, after shelling stopped in the morning.
“At 2000 hours, Pakistan rangers started firing with automatic weapons at two places in R S Pura sector. They also fired mortar shells in Suchetgarh area,” Deputy Inspector General of BSF (Jammu Frontier) Dharmendra Pareek said.
He said the BSF was giving a befitting response to the Pakistani fire. There had been a calm on all the borders since 8am after overnight firings along the IB in Jammu, Samba and Kathua districts.
Pakistan Rangers violated the ceasefire in Samba, Kathua and Jammu districts of Jammu region last night, a senior BSF officer said.
“Firing started from Pakistan side at 2115 hours in R S Pura Sector and continued intermittently till 0300 hours,” Pareek said.
Small arms and mortars shells were fired by the rangers but were not effective. BSF retaliated appropriately to the firing, he added.
He said at 0200 hours Pakistan started firing in gaps in Hiranagar and Samba sectors which continued till 0600 hours. “BSF retaliated approp-riately wherever required,” he said. The firing stopped at 0820 hours in all parts of the International Border. There was no loss of life or injury, the officer said.
On Friday, two civilians were killed and as many injured when Pakistan targeted civilian areas and forward India posts along the LoC and IB in Jammu, Kathua, Poonch and Rajouri districts, following which Indian troops retaliated and killed 15 Pakistani soldiers.
BSF said as per the ammunition used in firing and shelling it appeared that Pakistani Army was supporting Pakistani rangers along IB.
On October 25, at least 2-3 Pakistani army men were believed to have been killed in retaliatory firing by Indian troops in the Noushera sector of Rajouri district. Over 60 ceasefire violations have taken place since surgical strikes by Indian Army on terror launch pads in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
Meanwhile, in a departure from the past, BSF on Sunday did not exchange sweets and greetings with Pakistani Rangers at Indo-Pak Attari/Wagah border on Diwali with the move coming in the wake of the heightened tension between the two countries.
The exchange of sweets on Diwali did not happen, a BSF official, without elaborating further, said. Both BSF and the Pakistani Rangers have in the past followed the tradition of exchanging sweets and gifts on national festivals like Diwali and Eid, as well as on the occasion of the Independence day functions of the two neighbouring countries.
However, during the past 2-3 years, the border guarding forces on either side have not exchanged sweets on few occasions.
This year, the BSF’s decision comes in the backdrop of the heightened tension between the two nations with growing incidents of ceasefire violations by Pakistani troops along the Line of Control (LoC) and International Border, especially after the Indian Army carried out surgical strikes targeting terror launch pads in PoK. (PTI)