If shelling occurs, then we will reply in kind: BJP President

BJP had come under fire by Indian Kashmir CM Omar Abdullah for not doing enough for the people affected

KARACHI: In light of the cross-border firing that most recently killed five people, including three Pakistani civilians, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah said in a televised speech that India will give a “befitting reply” to any shelling that occurs, reported the Times of India.

Shah was visiting the RS Pura district in Jammu, which was affected by the shelling. Shah, Modi and the BJP had come under fire by Omar Abdullah, chief minister of Indian Kashmir, for not doing enough for the people affected.

The rest of Shah’s speech focused on castigating Abdullah for his own response to the violence. “Have you or your representatives even visited the affected areas?” Shah said, addressing Abdullah. “Do the job that has been given to you, even if it is for just a few days,” he said, encouraging the audience to oust the chief minister in the next election.

Despite a decade-long ceasefire in place, violence has flared recently along the Pakistan-India border, in the areas close to Sialkot. India recently cancelled a high-level meeting between the two countries scheduled for August 25^th in Delhi after Pakistani High Commissioner to India Abdul Basit decided to meet with All Parties Hurriyet Conference leaders before it.