New Delhi, April 30: India has warned Pakistan against its unprovoked firings along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir as the directors general of military operations of the two armies spoke on the hotline amid the escalating tensions over the Pahalgam terror attack.
Pakistan has been resorting to firings on the Indian side of the LoC since Friday night in violation of a ceasefire understanding and the Indian Army responded to them “appropriately”, according to military sources.
The directors general of military operations (DGMOs) held the conversation on Tuesday. It came as India mulls its options to respond to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people.
The Pakistan military has been warned against the unprovoked firings, people familiar with the DGMO talks said.
The sources, however, described the exchanges over the hotline as “routine”, saying it was a weekly conversation between the DGMOs that is held every Tuesday.
The Indian DGMO strongly took up the matter of ceasefire violations by the Pakistan military, the sources said.
In a significant move aimed at reducing tensions, the Indian and Pakistani armies on February 25, 2021 announced that they would cease firing across the LoC while recommitting themselves to a 2003 ceasefire agreement.
The ceasefire understanding was broadly being adhered to till last week.
The sources said Pakistan military resorted to “unprovoked firings” using small arms from their posts across the LoC in Baramulla and Kupwara districts, and across the international border in the Pargwal sector on Tuesday night as well.
The Pakistan military has been put on high alert following India’s assertion that it will hunt down the terrorists involved in the Pahalgam strike.
In a high-level meeting with the defence brass on Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserted that the armed forces have “complete operational freedom” to decide on the mode, targets and timing of India’s response to the terror attack, according to government sources.
The prime minister affirmed that it is a national resolve to deal a crushing blow to terrorism, they said.
A day after the Pahalgam attack, India on April 23 announced a raft of punitive measures against Pakistan including suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, shutting down of the only operation land border crossing at Attari and downgrading of diplomatic ties in view of cross-border links to the attack.
In response, Pakistan shut its airspace to Indian airliners and suspended all trade with India, including through third countries. Pakistan rejected India’s suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty and said any move to stop the flow of water will be seen as an “act of war”.
On Wednesday, Pakistan, citing “credible intelligence”, claimed that India was planning to carry out military action against it within the next 24 to 36 hours and warned that consequences will follow. (PTI)
786 Pak nationals exit India; 1,465 Indians return home
New Delhi, April 30: As many as 786 Pakistani nationals, including 55 diplomats, their dependents and support staff, besides eight Indians with Pakistani visa, have left India through the Attari-Wagah border crossing in the last six days following a government order in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack, officials said on Wednesday.
A total of 1,465 Indians, including 25 diplomats and officials, besides 151 Pakistani citizens with long-term Indian visas have crossed over to India from Pakistan through the international border crossing located in Punjab since April 24.
The ‘Leave India’ notice to the Pakistani nationals was issued by the government after 26 people, mostly tourists, were killed by Pakistan-linked terrorists in Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir on April 22.
The deadline for exiting India for those holding SAARC visas was April 26. For those carrying medical visas, the deadline was April 29.
The deadline for 12 other categories of visas was April 27. These were visas on arrival and visas for business, film, journalist, transit, conference, mountaineering, student, visitor, group tourist, pilgrim and group pilgrims.
Three Defence/Military, Naval and Air Advisors in the Pakistani High Commission in New Delhi were declared Persona Non Grata on April 23 and they were given one week to leave India. Five support staff of these defence attaches were also asked to leave India. India has also withdrawn its defence attache from the Indian High Commission in Islamabad.
However, those having long-term, diplomatic or official visas were exempted from the ‘Leave-India’ order.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on April 25 called up the chief ministers of all states and asked them to ensure that no Pakistani stays in India beyond the deadline set for leaving the country. (PTI)