8 Civilians Killed By Pak, Army Chief Suhag Briefs Home Minister
JAMMU : With eight civilians killed today in Jammu and Kashmir in cross-border firing by Pakistan, Home Minister Rajnath Singh met this evening with top officials including Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.
Today’s deaths mark the single worst day for civilian casualties since a ceasefire agreement between India and Pakistan was declared in Kashmir in 2003.
Among the dead were a five-year-old and a seven-year old as well as two women. 22 civilians were injured. Since India’s surgical strikes in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir on September 29, the ceasefire has been violated by Pakistan nearly 60 times.
This evening’s security meeting was attended by Army Chief General Dalbir Singh Suhag as the government sought information on how India is retaliating to Pakistan’s shelling and gunfire.
Pakistan troops today targeted villages and military posts along both the International Border and the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir. The heavy mortar shelling began early this morning.
The Border Security Force said it took out 14 Pakistani posts along the International Border. Two Pakistani soldiers were also killed in retaliatory firing along the Line of Control in Kashmir.
As a result of the cross-border attacks, the government has ordered nearly 175 schools to shut down. Thousands of villagers lying along the de-facto border have been evacuated in recent weeks with residents moved to government-run shelters.
On September 18, Pakistani terrorists attacked an army base in Uri in Kashmir, killing 19 soldiers. India retaliated with cross-border raids 10 days later to take out terrorist staging areas. Eight Indian troops have died in border skirmishes since September. Last week, India and Pakistan each expelled a diplomat amid the worst bilateral tension in over a decade.
