SRINAGAR: Pakistan president Asif Ali Zardari may have promised border stability, but his commitment is certainly not reflecting on the ground.
Pakistan Rangers once again violated truce on Tuesday night, firing indiscriminately at BSF troops in a bid to push in a group of militants into India from the international border in Kanuchak sub-sector of Jammu.
The Rangers opened heavy fire targeting BSF posts at around 11.50 pm. However, alert jawans of BSF’s 141 battalion strongly retaliated, thwarting the sneak-in bid.
JB Sangwan, BSF DIG, Jammu frontier, said at least two groups comprising two to three militants each tried to sneak in.
“The militants were lucky to survive. It was too dark and we could not judge from where the fire was coming. But given the situation, the firing could not have taken place without the support of Pakistan Rangers,” he said. BSF sources said the exchange of fire continued for half-an-hour, but there was no casualty.
BSF has decided to lodge a strong protest with the Rangers over the incident. “As usual, they will deny it. But we will make it clear that any firing incident will evoke a strong reaction from us,” K Srinivasan, DIG at the BSF headquarters in New Delhi, said.
This is the second violation by Pakistan Rangers since Zardari and prime minister Manmohan Singh issued a joint declaration in New York committing to stabilise the border ceasefire. On September 27, the Rangers sprayed bullets and grenades on the BSF outpost at Chak Phagwari in Pargwal sector in a bid to push in another group of militants. That attempt too was foiled. Over 28 ceasefire violations have been recorded this year so far.
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