Escalating tensions: As India resumes shelling, Pakistan warns of payback
Indian forces fire mortar shells at civilians in Nezapir sector of Haveli.
MUZAFFARABAD/ISLAMABAD:
After a brief lull of 24 hours, Indian forces violated the ceasefire at the Line of Control (LoC) once again on Saturday and fired mortar shells at the civilian population in Nezapir sector of Haveli district, some 200 kilometres from Muzaffarabad, the capital of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).
In the village of Mohri, a 70-year-old man was injured in shelling and shifted to the Tehsil Headquarters Hospital Haveli, where medics said he is in a stable condition.
Pakistani troops effectively responded to the Indian shelling, the military’s media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), said in a statement. “Every Indian violation on the LoC and Working Boundary will meet a befitting response,” it added.
It further said that Pakistani forces “respond in the same way of any misadventure” from across the Working Boundary and the LoC by the Indian forces.
Over the last nine days, Indian forces have violated the ceasefire 15 times at Nakyal, Haveli and Dara Sher Khan areas of AJK. This has been the worst flare-up of tensions at the LoC since 2003.
“We don’t care about the Indian forces as we also have the ability to retaliate in seconds,” said Arshid Butt, a resident of Haveli.
Meanwhile, the AJK government established a control room to disseminate information to the media regarding the situation at the LoC. Additionally, locals who wish to get updates can also contact the control room.
“The control room would be headed by Additional Home Secretary Hameed Mughal to share accurate information regarding the current situation of the Line of Control with the people,” AJK Finance Minister Chaudhry Latif Akbar said. He added that India has been working on a specific agenda to escalate tensions at the LoC.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 12th, 2014.
After a brief lull of 24 hours, Indian forces violated the ceasefire at the Line of Control (LoC) once again on Saturday and fired mortar shells at the civilian population in Nezapir sector of Haveli district, some 200 kilometres from Muzaffarabad, the capital of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).
In the village of Mohri, a 70-year-old man was injured in shelling and shifted to the Tehsil Headquarters Hospital Haveli, where medics said he is in a stable condition.
Pakistani troops effectively responded to the Indian shelling, the military’s media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), said in a statement. “Every Indian violation on the LoC and Working Boundary will meet a befitting response,” it added.
It further said that Pakistani forces “respond in the same way of any misadventure” from across the Working Boundary and the LoC by the Indian forces.
Over the last nine days, Indian forces have violated the ceasefire 15 times at Nakyal, Haveli and Dara Sher Khan areas of AJK. This has been the worst flare-up of tensions at the LoC since 2003.
“We don’t care about the Indian forces as we also have the ability to retaliate in seconds,” said Arshid Butt, a resident of Haveli.
Meanwhile, the AJK government established a control room to disseminate information to the media regarding the situation at the LoC. Additionally, locals who wish to get updates can also contact the control room.
“The control room would be headed by Additional Home Secretary Hameed Mughal to share accurate information regarding the current situation of the Line of Control with the people,” AJK Finance Minister Chaudhry Latif Akbar said. He added that India has been working on a specific agenda to escalate tensions at the LoC.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 12th, 2014.