Amid spike in cross-border firing, India, Pakistan flag meeting in Poonch

Amid the recent spike in incidents of cross-border firing, sniper fire and IED attacks by Pakistan along the Line of Control (LoC), India and Pakistan are holding a flag meeting at Chakan-da-Bagh in Poonch district on Friday.

“A brigadier is heading the Indian delegation. The talks are being held at the Poonch-Rawalkote meeting point on the LoC. The Indian delegation will clearly tell the Pakistani officers to desist from vitiating peace on the LoC by resorting to sniper fire, IED attacks and trying to push in terrorists into Jammu and Kashmir,” a defence source said. “The Indian side will also make it clear that though India wants peace on the borders but if Pakistan continued its mischievous activities and provokes the Indian Army, we reserve the right to retaliate,” the source added.

Two army personnel, including captain Karamjit Singh Bakshi, were killed in an improvised explosive device (IED) attack carried out by suspected terrorists in the Akhnoor sector of the Jammu region on February 11.

The People’s Anti-Fascist Front (PAFF), an offshoot of Jaish-e-Mohammad, had claimed responsibility for the attack in a video clip released on social media.

Two soldiers were injured in cross-border firing along the LoC in Rajouri and Poonch districts, while another army personnel was injured in a landmine explosion last week.

The Indian Army’s retaliatory action also resulted in “heavy casualties” on the Pakistani side.

Ceasefire violations along the borders of Jammu and Kashmir have been rare since India and Pakistan renewed the ceasefire agreement on February 25, 2021.

On Monday, Jammu and Kashmir lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha had said that the army was responding befittingly and added that clear directions have been issued to the security forces to go full throttle to wipe out terrorism at any cost.

After Captain Bakshi and Naik Mukesh Singh Manhas were killed in an IED blast near the LoC in Akhnoor on February 11, Sinha had chaired two back-to-back security review meetings at Srinagar and Jammu on February 12 and 13 with top officials. However, chief minister Omar Abdullah was not invited to both the meetings.

On February 13, close on the heels of a ceasefire violation by Pakistan in the Bhimber Gali sector along the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch sector, India had hit back strongly inflicting heavy losses to the Pakistan army in the Krishna Ghati sector.

An intelligence official said that Pakistan has been trying to vitiate peace along the LoC by resorting to cross-border firing, sniper fire and carrying out IED blasts with an aim to target Indian soldiers.

On February 10, the general officer commanding of the Jammu-based White Knight Corps, Lieutenant General Navin Sachdeva, had reviewed “hostile activities” along the LoC in Rajouri district.