New Delhi, August 26
With Pakistan again indulging in cross-border firing and militants making yet another infiltration attempt in Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday, defence minister A.K. Antony termed the developments as a matter of concern and said the ceasefire should be maintained.
“The border firing and attempts of infiltration are a matter of concern,” Antony told reporters on the sidelines of a function here.
“Our forces are doing their best to prevent these incidents. By and large, they are able to control the situation. Our forces are ready to meet any challenges in the border. So there is no cause of worry,” he said.
Tuesday’s firing by Pakistani troops at a BSF post in Poonch, where four jawans have been injured, is the 30th ceasefire violation since January this year.
The number of infiltration attempts by militants into Jammu and Kashmir from across the borders too had witnessed a substantial increase, touching over 130 incidents between March and July this year.
Antony said though in the last two months there had been over 20 violations of ceasefire by Pakistani forces and infiltration attempts were on the rise, the Indian security forces were foiling these attempts successfully.
“Every summer, these kinds of things (Pakistani firing and militants infiltration) do happen. This year, the cross-border firing incidents are more. But it does not mean the entire border is troublesome. Even now I feel we have to hold on to ceasefire,” he said, to a question on the relevance of the November 2003 ceasefire agreement with Pakistan continuously violating it.
— PTI
