Indo-Pak border fire unlikely to ebb soon, says Gen Rawat

NEW DELHI: In the absence of any diplomatic detente the deadly war of attrition between India and Pakistan along the 778-km Line of Control (LoC) and 198-km International Boundary (IB) in Jammu & Kashmir has taken a sharp turn for the worse ever since the surgical strikes of September 2016. There were as many as 860 ceasefire violations (CFVs) along the LoC and another 120 along the IB in 2017 the highest-ever such tally in over 15 years. The number of CFVs has already https://shopozoind5.wixsite.com/mobikwik touched 241 across the LoC in the first 36 days of this year claiming the lives of nine Indian soldiers as per Army statistics. Army chief General Bipin Rawat says the Pak Army is suffering three to four times the number of casualties compared to us in the CFVs. Given the current mood these long and bloody tit-for-tat fire assaults across the border with even light artillery guns heavy mortars and anti-tank guided missiles often coming into play from both the sides are not going to ebb anytime soon. A day after a young captain and three soldiers were killed in heavy shelling by Pakistani forces in Rajouri district Army vice-chief Lt-General Sarath Chand on Monday warned of strong retaliatory action to avenge the losses. That (retaliation) goes without saying. I think I don t have to say that. (Our) action will speak for itself he said. Added another senior officer Pakistan is hurt more than us...that s why the Pak Army refuses to give its casualty figures to its own Parliament. We estimate 130-140 Pak soldiers were killed in our cross-border firings and tactical operations last year. But Indian soldiers have also paid a heavy price. Of the 62 who laid down their lives in J&K last year 15 were killed in CFVs 17 in infiltration and other incidents along the LoC and 30 in counter-terrorism operations in the hinterland. I don t think the situation will get better in the short term. The atmosphere has been completely vitiated by the Pak Army strategy to send terrorists across to carry out IED blasts mutilate our soldiers and attack garrisons. It leaves no space for any confidence-building like a ceasefire agreement said former Northern Army Command chief Lt-Gen D S Hooda (retd) who oversaw the surgical strikes on September 29 2016. Indian Para-Special Forces had conducted the surgical strikes against terror launch pads close to Pak Army posts in four different locations in PoK to avenge the killing of 19 Indian soldiers in a suicide attack at the Army camp in Uri earlier that month. That in effect triggered the sharp escalatory spiral with Pakistan indulging in 78 and 88 CFVs in October and November 2016. India also began to pro-actively dominate the LoC with pre-emptive and punitive fire assaults on Pak Army posts aiding infiltration which became all the more fiercer after two of its soldiers were beheaded in a BAT (border action team) operation in Krishna Ghati sector in Poonch on May 1 last year. The Pak Army was obviously not about to roll over and play dead. It responded in full measure sometimes deliberately targeting civilian centres in the Jammu region.
The Army today clearly indicated it would take retaliatory action against the killing of four army men in heavy shelling by Pakistani forces along the LoC in the Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir saying that its action would speak for itself. Vice chief Lt Gen Sarath Chand said the Army has been responding appropriately to Pakistan shelling asserting that India will continue to give a befitting reply to such acts. That (retaliation) goes without saying I think I don t have to say that. (Our) action will speak for itself he said when asked about the killing of a Captain and three other Army men in the Rajouri sector. The Captain and three jawans were killed and at least four people injured yesterday in the heavy Pakistani shelling along the LoC. Chand also accused the Pakistani Army of supporting the infiltration of terrorists into Jammu and Kashmir. We will continue with our process of giving a befitting reply (to such acts) he told reporters on the sidelines of an event here adding that there were even incidents of mutilation of bodies of jawans last year. We have been responding appropriately he said. There has been cross-border shelling from their (Pakistan s) side. And one of the shells landed near the officer and his men leading to the casualties he said when asked about yesterday s shelling. Captain Kapil Kundu a resident of village Ransika in Haryana s Gurgaon district was killed just six days before his 22nd birthday Army officials said. Havildar Roshan Lal 42 a resident of Samba district Jammu and Kashmir Riflemen Ramavatar 27 of Gwalior Madhya Pradesh and Subham Singh 23 of Jammu and Kashmir s Kathua district were also killed in the shelling. Home Minister Rajnath Singh said earlier today Indians had full faith in the valour of the Army. People of the country have full faith in the valour of the Indian Army the minister told reporters outside Parliament when asked about the steps India would take in response to the attack.
LAHORE: Outlawed Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief and Mumbai terror attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed on Monday dared the Pakistani government to arrest him if it can and said he will not stop fighting the case of Kashmiri people. If the Pakistani government wants to arrest me ... come and go for it but I will not stop dedicating 2018 for Kashmiris Saeed said while addressing a rally here. We will emerge more strongly if you try to suppress us said Saeed who was listed as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist by the US. He criticised ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif for not playing his role on the issue of Kashmir. We may initiate efforts to make you (Sharif) prime minister again if you pledge to work for freedom of Kashmir he said. He also claimed that on the pressure of the US and India our media coverage is banned in Pakistan . Saeed who was released from house arrest in Pakistan in November carries a 10 million bounty on his head. He asked the government to allow the UN Security Council monitoring team to visit JuD and FIF centres in the country so that it could come to know about their charity work. We welcome the international monitoring teams to our centres. The JuD is believed to be the front organization for the LeT which is responsible for carrying out the Mumbai attack that killed 166 people. It has been declared as a foreign terrorist organisation by the US in June 2014.
Srinagar: India has lodged a strong protest with the Pakistani foreign office a day after four soldiers including a Captain were killed in shelling by Pakistani troops in Jammu and Kashmir s Rajouri district. Home Minister Rajnath Singh also condemned the firing by Pakistan. Have full faith in the valour of our soldiers and they shall give proper reply Mr Singh told reporters today.People familiar with the matter told NDTV that the four soldiers died after a Pakistani mortar shell struck near the entrance to a bunker which could not absorb the intensity of the blast.The bodies of Captain Kapil Kundu 22 Rifleman Ramavatar 28 Rifleman Subham Singh 22 and Havilder Roshan Lal 42 will be sent to their hometowns after a tribute in Jammu. We will not forgive Pakistan s actions. It will prove to be Pakistan s foolishness and will cost them dearly Hansraj Ahir Minister of State Home Affairs said.Pakistan intensified firing at Indian military posts and villages along the Line of Control or LoC in Poonch and Rajouri districts on Sunday morning. A teenage girl and a soldier were also injured in Poonch. Indian Army retaliated strongly and effectively and heavy damage has been inflicted on Pakistani Army posts said a defence statement. (Left to right) Havilder Roshan Lal Rifleman Ramavatar and Rifleman Subham Singh.There have been 240 incidents of ceasefire violations along the LoC and the International Border in a little over a month this year which is more than the violations in all of 2015 and 2016 at 152 and 228 respectively. Pakistani forces violated the ceasefire 860 times in 2017. Nine soldiers have died since January. Pakistan Army along the border has been supporting infiltration by terrorists said Vice Chief of Army Staff Lieutenant General Sarath Chand.The shelling has stopped for now and the forces are keeping a close watch. Over 80 schools in the district are closed and people have been told to stay indoors. CommentsClose X The Army said that Pakistan troops fired five or six anti-tank guided missiles indiscriminately in the area. The incident took place at an altitude of 3 000 feet in a densely forested part of the LoC in Bhimber Galli in the Rajouri district.It was the second time in three days that the Pakistani Army targeted Poonch. They had attacked military and civilian facilities in nearly a dozen areas of the Balakote sector last week.

Karachi: A Chinese national the managing director of a shipping firm in Pakistan was killed on Monday after being shot in the head by unidentified gunmen here in what police are calling a targeted attack. The victim 46-year-old Chen Zhu was shot by gunmen who opened fire on his car when he was out on a grocery shopping with another Chinese national in Karachi s Clifton area. Representational image. AP The second Chinese national was buying vegetables at the time of the attack and took refuge in a nearby superstore when he heard the firing. Senior police officer Umar Khattab said Chen was shot in the head while a 30-year-old passer-by was shot in the leg. It appears to be a targeted attack and we found nine bullet casings from the spot he said. Chen who was managing director of a shipping company was taken to the Jinnah hospital in critical condition and died there Khattab said. Dr Seemin Jamali the medical superintendent at the Jinnah hospital said Chen died during a critical operation. Sindh Home Minister Sohail Anwar Siyal took http://jp.un-wiredtv.com/index.php/member/137198/ notice of the incident and ordered deputy inspector general south to start an inquiry into the matter. All measures should be taken to ensure that the suspects are arrested the minister said. The Sindh inspector general of police has assigned the investigation of the incident to Counter Terrorism Department (CTD). He also directed CTD to register a first information report of the killing. The incident comes nearly two months after China warned its citizens in Pakistan to be on alert after receiving intelligence reports about possible attacks targeting Chinese. Last year two Chinese nationals believed to be Christian missionaries were abducted from Quetta and killed by the Islamic State group in the restive Balochistan province. The couple had reportedly been preaching in Balochistan under the garb of learning Urdu. Thousands of Chinese workers are employed in the development of about 60 billion worth of infrastructure projects under Beijing s Belt and Road initiative. The port and road-building projects have come under frequent attacks in Balochistan.
Quetta Pakistan: An explosion in southwest Pakistan left at least one person dead and seven others wounded on Monday officials said.A remote control bomb targeting civillians was planted in a motorcycle that went off in Panjgur city of the restive Baluchistan province according to authorities. It was an improvised explosive device planted in the motorcycle parked in a busy area of the Panjgur city and was detonated through a remote control Ghulam Ali provincial home secretary told AFP.Bashir Bangulzai the commissioner of Makran region of which Panjgur is a part confirmed the details and said two of those wounded were in critical condition.On Sunday a six-year-old girl and her mother were also killed in the outskirts of Panjgur when the child was playing with a hand grenade found near her house.Mineral-rich Balochistan province borders Afghanistan and Iran and is home to ethnic Islamist and political insurgencies.China is investing in the area under a 54 billion project known as the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) upgrading infrastructure power and transport links between its far-western Xinjiang region and Pakistan s Gwadar port. CommentsClose X Pakistan accuses arch-rival India for unrest in the province in order to hurt the CPEC and destablise the country.(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Written by Avantika Chopra | New Delhi | Published: February 5 2018 9:30 pm Not able to maintain a work-life balance? Watch this Pakistani journalist report his own wedding. (Source:/Amarguriro/Twitter)) Related News WATCH: Old man gets stuck on ad board after falling from balcony; firefighters come to the rescueVIDEO: Is there life on Mars? See this panoramic view from NASA s Curiosity rover They call me Pakistani : Poet narrates his life as a Muslim living in India; watch videoIn an amusing incident in Pakistan a reporter created quite a buzz on social media after he covered and reported his own wedding for a local news channel. Hanan Bukhari who is a reporter for City 41 went live on TV and gave out details about his wedding that was taking place at that very moment. While reporting his own wedding Bukhari is seen wearing a groom s attire holding a mic and asking his family members about the occasion. He starts off by informing the viewers that he is present at his wedding ceremony and is very happy about it. (Thankfully!) Moreover he further states that since it is a love marriage his wife too is happy about it. He then introduces his father who is standing behind him and interviews him asking about the marriage and how he is feeling about the same. Being absolutely professional the camera then shift focus to Bukhari s mother-in-law and mother where they too express how they feel about the celebration. However these multiple clips that have gone viral on the Internet are being criticised by many. Check out the clips here: hilarious!! City41 reporter covering his own wedding ceremony. #PakistaniMedia pic.twitter.com/FC8PYNRD0v Amar Guriro (@amarguriro) February 4 2018 Part II. #City41 reporter while covering his own wedding Je Sassu ma app ko kesa lag rha hay #PakistanMedia#ModrenRaporting#NayaChandNawabpic.twitter.com/miKCzAIur3 Amar Guriro (@amarguriro) February 4 2018 While many on Twitter were amused with the way the journalist went on with the reporting even on his wedding day others did not seem very happy about it. Some even complimented the reporter s confidence. Here are some of the reactions the video clips have garnered: The quality journalism of Pakistani media hahahhaahha #RIP #journalism #PakMedia Mountain Man (@TanveerAhmedGLT) February 4 2018 I love his spunk. This guy should be celebrated for his audience engagement on local level. C41 is local news & I see nothing wrong with him reporting about his marriage. M. Zahid Iftikhar (@RuneGroan) February 4 2018 Another great milestone for Pakistan s unprofessional media. Let s how many Pakistani TV journalists decide to commit suicide after this. Babur ChughtaiMughal (@GenghizSon) February 4 2018 RIP journalism Saad Doger (@saad_doger) February 4 2018 For all the latest Trending News download Indian Express App IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd More Related News The truth behind the viral return my MATCHBOX official letter by UP engineer Olympian goof-up! Norwegian team s translation mess-up leaves them with 15 000 eggs! Tags: Social media viral Johnny SackFeb 6 2018 at 4:23 amso many people saying rip journalism as if indian journalism is any better.(0)(0) Reply