Pakistan

Cross-border attacks: Pakistan to press for peace despite Indian hostility

Four civilians shot dead by Indian forces; Islamabad lodges protest with Indian High Commissioner

Kamran Yousaf/Aditi Phadnis July 17, 2015

Four civilians shot dead by Indian forces; Islamabad lodges protest with Indian High Commissioner. PHOTO: ISPR

NEW DELHI/ ISLAMABAD:

Pakistan reiterated its commitment to peace on Thursday after unprovoked firing by Indian forces along the working border near Sialkot left at least four civilians dead. The attacks came a day after the military shot down an Indian ‘spy’ drone near the Line of Control (LoC) in Azad Kashmir.

Three people were killed and five more were injured by a bout of cross-border firing by India’s Border Security Force (BSF) on the working boundary near Sialkot, according to the military’s media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR). The deceased were identified as Ghulam Mustafa, Rahat and Boota from Malana and Salehpur villages.

Read: Five killed in Indian BSF firing near Sialkot: ISPR

In another firing incident, an 18-year-old girl named Zareena Bibi was shot dead at the LoC in Rawalakot, Kashmir. The Pakistani troops also responded to the Indian aggression while exercising restraint, the ISPR statement read.

Indian envoy summoned

The Foreign office summoned the Indian high commissioner and lodged a strong protest over the cross-border attacks by the Indian forces as well as the airspace violation by the Indian drone the other day.

The Indian envoy was told the drone had entered Pakistan’s airspace in violation of international laws and infringed upon the country’s territorial integrity.

Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmed Chaudhry said the drone’s intrusion into Pakistani territory violated the two agreements of 1991 on airspace violations and standard operating procedures of advance notice for military exercises, military manoeuvres and troop movement, the official FO statement said. The secretary said ‘Heli manoeuvres’ staged by India near the LoC on July 11 showed its offensive and threatening posture.

The FO statement said that Chaudhry emphasised that in the spirit of maintaining peace and tranquillity at the Pak-India border, and the region at large, it was important that the 2003 Understanding on maintaining ceasefire was observed.

Regional peace

FO spokesperson Qazi Khalilullah said unprovoked firing by India at the border was against the spirit of the understanding reached in a recent meeting of the Pakistani and Indian premiers in Ufa, Russia.

He, however, added that Pakistan would not turn away from discussing all outstanding issues with India. “Peace and tranquillity on the LoC and the Working Boundary is in the interest of both sides,” he said at his weekly news briefing in Islamabad.

Read: Pakistan Army shoots down Indian 'spy drone'

Responding to a question about a recent statement by the Indian high commissioner that Azad Kashmir was under “illegal occupation” of Pakistan, the FO spokesperson insisted that Kashmir was a disputed territory and any unilateral decision could not change its status. “There are UN Security Council resolutions on Kashmir. It is India which is occupying Kashmir in violation of these resolutions. Unilateral measures make no difference to the disputed status of Kashmir,” he argued.

India lodges protest

New Delhi also lodged a protest with Pakistan, alleging the firing along the working boundary was initiated by the Pakistani border personnel.

Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh called a meeting of Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj and Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar at his North Block office to discuss the alleged ceasefire violations and the drone shot down by Pakistan.

Retorting to the Pakistani High Commissioner Abdul Basit’s charge that the firing had been initiated by India and the drone belonged to India, Indian Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar claimed the drone was not of the design used by Indian forces and was of Chinese origin that could be purchased commercially.

Addressing a press conference, he said when the firing started India’s BSF in Jammu tried to contact officials across the border but got no response. “Then we retaliated,” he added.

What next?

These developments come days after an ice-breaking meeting between Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi in the Russian city of Ufa, where both sides decided to resume the dialogue process stalled since mid-2014.

PM Modi is scheduled to visit the scenic Kashmir Valley on Friday (today) to celebrate Eid with its residents. A huge financial package for the state is also expected to be announced. But the exchange of fire may put a damper on his visit.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 17^th, 2015.

COMMENTS (9)

Haider | 9 years ago | Reply @Vectra We don't waste technology as we only send pigeons....India is very good in copying other countries technology... It was from India and shot down by Pakistan... Now its upto you to see it was drone by your government or any ordinary citizen.......Truth is that it came from India and world reports it..Your trolling can only give entertainment It has said that they don't sell directly to government.. No one is talking about helicopter but drone which came from India.... LOL you only see pictures and state its Chinese drone....By seeing pictures you cant fool us

scientist | 9 years ago | Reply Really check the DJI drone specification guys , it's not about complaining and about pride , the drone is available in e bay for just 2lakhs , and operating remote should be placed nearby three km , really it's sad because of non sense politics on three side 5 life havelost and both country are responsible for it .

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Vectra | 9 years ago | Reply "The secretary said ‘Heli manoeuvres’ staged by India near the LoC on July 11 showed its offensive and threatening posture." Response from India : “In so far as the allegation of the helicopter maneuvers is concerned, this has already been taken up and settled through an exchange of hotline messages between local formation commanders at Teetwal on July 12-13. The helicopter flight was in connection with the counter-terrorism operation in which three terrorists were neutralized. We had clarified that it was well within the mutually accepted distances from the LoC in India. That the Pakistani Government four days later is raising a controversy on a settled issue speaks for itself,” he said." So the question is why is pakistan FO raising the settled issue now on 16th-17th of july when the incident occurred and also setteled on 12-13 july????.Why not issue raised on 12-13 itself???.Are pakistan FO sleeping and waking up now???.Both heli and drone goof is pakistans own creation.

Vectra | 9 years ago | Reply This is also the latest news,"Chinese Company DJI Denies Selling Drones to Indian Government" http://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/Chinese-Company-DJI-Denies-Selling-Drones-to-Indian-Government/2015/07/17/article2925301.ece Pakistan has shot down its own drones and passing the blame to India,that is what a dozen media reports are saying and this is what is clarified in the link above and what what abreez has posted.Various media reports are now blaming pakistan for spreading lies and they said that despite the claims by pakistan ISPR which was denied by India and its Army and Air Force who said they never purchase any equipments from China and they dont have these drones in their inventory which is toy available online and even denied by DJI company which said its drones are not capable of military use with only 15 mins battery capacity and they have never sold any DJI phantom Drones to Indian Government" but the pakistanis are adamant on linking it to India.

abreez | 9 years ago | Reply Shot Down Drone in Pakistan Made in China People's Daily Online July 17, 2015 The shotdown drone by Pakistani military was recognized in Beijing as the Chinese –made DJI phantom 3, according to "Observer," a website based in Shanghai. The Phantom 3 Advanced represents the most intelligent, most powerful, and most accessible drone to date, the reports say. Observer says the drone sells for $1200 each. DJI is a Chinese technology company founded in 2006 by Frank Wang and headquartered in Shenzhen, Guangdong. It manufactures commercial and recreational unmanned aerial vehicles for aerial photography and videography.

V. C. Bhutani | 9 years ago | Reply Peace-wallas on the Indian side should learn something from the latest goings-on at the LOC. It should be clear to the owner of even the weakest intelligence that Pakistan does not want good relations with India. The corollary is that Indian efforts to build peace and good relations with Pakistan shall not succeed. QED. It only remains for India to retaliate with matching or superior force every time there is aggression by Pakistan at LOC/IB. There is a limit to Indian patience. Beyond a point, patience shall have the aspect of pusillanimity. Already many voices are saying that the present Indian government is no different from Congress governments of the preceding 10 years. Mr Modi’s government needs to show unmistakably that it means business. But if we go on reading too often of bad actions by Pakistan at LOC/IB without adequate Indian response, then we shall be driven to think that this government is much the same as the previous government. If I may be forgiven for setting aside politeness, I would say that Pakistan is proving India an incompetent power. The only time we gave matching answer to Pakistan was under Lal Bahadur Shastri in 1965 and to some extent under Indira Gandhi in 1971. These are two events which Pakistanis shall not forget till the end of time. Pakistan is now asking for a further lesson: we should give it to them. We should ignore Pakistan's nuclear weapons: Pakistan cannot use nuclear weapons under any circumstances. (Even USA cannot use nuclear weapons.) Perhaps it is high time we called off China's bluff about Iron Brothers. Pakistan is brandishing its China angle to frighten India. We need to convince Pakistan that nothing that Pakistan can do shall frighten India. It takes two to make war. It takes two to make peace. V. C. Bhutani, Delhi, 17 July 2015, 1112 IST

MBD | 9 years ago | Reply Lol

Mohan | 9 years ago | Reply Pak army every now and then firing from their side whenever there is a high level meeting between Indian and Pakistan. The Pak army and ISI don't want any friendship with India and peace. Please understand that if you, the Pakis fire from your side, you will get fitting reply. Please understand the fact and go back to your barrack.

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