Army kills 7 Pak soldiers along LoC in retaliation

Srinagar/Islamabad: At least seven Pakistani soldiers were killed and four others injured on Monday in the Indian Army’s “retaliatory action” along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district. The action came after an Indian Army jawan was killed in Pakistani firing along the LoC’s Rajouri district, the Army officials in Jammu said. At least one officer, of the rank of major, was among the Pakistanis killed.

They said the Indian Army carried out the “retaliatory action” against Pakistani troops across the Jaglote area along the LoC in the Mendhar sector of Poonch.

“They (Pakistanis) suffered, at least, seven fatal casualties. Also, four others were wounded,” they said. They added that Pakistani troops had resorted to unprovoked firing along the LoC in Rajouri district in the latest violation of the November 2003 ceasefire understanding earlier, killing an Army jawan.

In Islamabad, the Pakistani authorities confirmed the death of four Army personnel in the Indian firing in the LoC’s Kotli area. They said the slain men were busy in line communication maintenance in the Jandrot and Kotli sectors of PoK when targeted.

“They were fired upon and hit by a heavy mortar round when they were busy in line communication maintenance in Jandrot and Kotli sectors of Azad Jammu and Kashmir,” a statement issued by Pakistan Army’s Inter-Services Public Relations in Islamabad said. It added that Pakistani troops retaliated for the Indian firing where three Indian soldiers were killed and a few others wounded.

The Indian “retaliatory action” coincided with Army Day celebrations across India on Monday. Army Day is celebrated on January 15 every year in recognition of Field Marshal K.M. Cariappa’s taking over as the first Indian commander-in-chief of the Army from Gen. Sir Francis Butcher, the last British holder of the post on this day in 1949. Amid reports of fresh clashes along the LoC, Army Chief Gen. Bipin Rawat on Monday warned of “stronger steps” against Pakistani troops and said that the ceasefire violations by them were frequent but the Indian Army retaliates against these effectively. “Ceasefire violations by Pakistan happen frequently, to which we respond effectively. We will take even stronger steps against our enemies if we are compelled to do so,” Gen. Rawat said.

Earlier, Pakistan’s minister for Kashmir affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan Barjees Tahir said India had violated the ceasefire 70 times along the LoC in the first three weeks of January. Criticising Gen. Rawat’s recent statement, he said that any Indian “misadventure” would be retaliated to with full force. After a brief lull, Indian and Pakistani troops had on Saturday exchanged fire in the Sunderbani sector of the LoC in Rajouri district. A defence spokesman said in Jammu that Pakistani troops targeted Indian forward posts with small and medium arms fire in the Sunderbani sector. “The unprovoked Pakistani action was retaliated to strongly and effectively by our own jawans, who used the same calibre weapons,” he said.

In the Pakistani firing, Lance Naik Yogesh Muralidhar Bhadane was grievously injured and later succumbed to his injuries at a nearby medical facility. Bhadane, 22, belonged to Khalane village of Dhule district in Maharashtra and is survived by his wife.