Jawan dies, 4 others injured in Pak shelling
10 Nov 2016 12:03 AM GMT
An army jawan who was injured in Pakistani shelling along the LoC in Naushera sector of the district succumbed on Wednesday while four others were injured in overnight ceasefire violation.
“An army jawan, injured in ceasefire violation by Pakistani troops, died late last night in the hospital,” a senior army official said.
Four jawans were also injured in the shelling last evening. On Tuesday, an army jawan was killed and two others were injured as Pakistani troops shelled Indian posts and civilian areas along the Line of Control in Naushera sector of Rajouri district following which three posts of Pakistani army were damaged in retaliatory action by the Army.
In another case of ceasefire violation on Tuesday, Pakistani troops indulged in unprovoked firing in Krishna Ghati sector of Poonch district from around 1345 hours. There have been over 100 ceasefire violations on Indian posts and civilian areas along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir after the surgical strike.
The worst-ever Pakistani shelling took place on November 1 when 8 persons were killed and 24 others injured along the IB and the LoC in five sectors of the state, forcing Indian troops to give befitting reply by destroying 14 Pakistani posts and killing two of their troopers. The state government had closed over 400 schools along the International Border (IB) and the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu region in wake of the ongoing heavy cross-border firing.
A total of 20 people, including 12 civilians, have been killed and more than 83 suffered injuries in Pakistani shelling and firing along IB and LoC in Jammu. A defence spokesman in a statement on Wednesday said Pakistani Army initiated indiscriminate and unprovoked firing on Indian posts along the LoC in Naushera sector on Tuesday.
In the shelling, Non Commissioned Officer Naik Prem Singh died and Naik Harindra Kumar Yadav (30) sustained grievous injuries following which he was immediately evacuated to a hospital, he said.
“However, the braveheart succumbed to his injuries. The Army has responded appropriately to the unprovoked firing by the Pakistan Army,” he added. “Naik Prem Singh (26) is survived by his wife, Raina. The soldier hailed from Shahar village in Rajasthan’s Barmer district,” the spokesman said.
Lt General Devraj Anbu new chief of Northern Command
Lt Gen Devraj Anbu was on Wednesday appointed as new chief of strategically important Northern Command in place of Lt Gen D S Hooda, who retires this month end.
The Appointments Committee of Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi cleared the name of Anbu for the post of General Officer-in-Commanding-in-Chief (GOC-in-C) with effect from December 1. Udhampur-based Northern Command is a strategically important army formation which overlooks the functioning of Srinagar-based 15 Corps, Jammu-based 16-corps and Leh-based 14-Corps.
Anbu was posted as the Corps Commander of Tezpur-based 4 Corps. His last posting in Jammu and Kashmir was as a Brigadier in 2008-09.
He takes over at a time when exchange of fire along the Line of Control has been happening quite frequently especially after the Indian army carried out surgical strikes on September 29 this year killing at least 19 Lashker-e-Taiba militants inside the territory in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir. Lt Gen Anbu Commissioned in the Sikh Light Infantry Regiment in June 1980 has had a distinguished military career in which he has executed important Command and Staff appointments in India and abroad.
India, Pak summon each other’s envoys again
Continuing the blame game, India and Pakistan on Wednesday summoned Deputy High Commissioners of each other to express concern over ceasefire violations even as India protested the manner in which the information of eight of its officials in Islamabad was made public, thereby, endangering their security and safety.
The Ministry summoned the Deputy High Commissioner of Pakistan and conveyed the strong concern of the Government of India on the continued violation of ceasefire along the International Border and the Line of Control by Pakistan, MEA Spokesperson Vikas Swarup said in New Delhi. “Despite calls for restraint, Pakistan forces have committed 16 ceasefire violations since 3 November 2016 alone.
“The Government conveyed that such loss of life is unacceptable and is strongly protested. In addition, the injuries to civilians during the shelling by Pakistan forces are deplorable and strongly condemned,” he said.
Swarup said India has also protested the manner in which the photographs of eight officials of the High Commission of India in Islamabad were prominently displayed in newspapers in the wake of factually incorrect allegations by Pakistan government, and conveyed that this is against basic norms of diplomatic practice and courtesy, besides having the potential to endanger their security and safety.
“It is expected that the Pakistan side will desist from such actions in the future and will ensure the safety and security of all members of the High Commission of India in Islamabad and their families,” Swarup added. Earlier, in Islamabad, Foreign Office said DG Mohd Faisal summoned Indian Deputy High Commissioner J P Singh to “strongly condemn the unprovoked ceasefire violations on November 8 by the Indian Forces on the Line of Control (LoC) in Khuirata and Battal sectors”.
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