Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Oct 10: India’s warning to Pakistan of ‘unaffordable’ consequences if it went ahead with adventurism on the borders seems to have gone down well with Pakistani security apparatus as most portions of the International Border in Jammu sector witnessed the calmest night yesterday in the past 10 days of flare-up with no incident of shelling and firing reported from any part of 198 kilometers long IB from Kathua to Pargwal sectors since last night.
However, number of the migrants swelled from 30,000 to over 33,000 with 3000 more people shifted to relief camps in Hiranagar and other forward areas anticipating that shelling or firing could resume from Pakistan side. The migrants didn’t return from the relief camps in any of the areas including Hiranagar, Samba, Ramgarh, Arnia, RS Pura, Domana, Pargwal and Kanachak as they wanted to wait for couple of more days to observe whether peace holds on or ceasefire is once again violated by the Pakistan Rangers.
“This was for the first time during past 10 days that not even a single bullet or shell was fired by Pakistan on the International Border last night during past 10 days. The day also went off peacefully and there were no reports of any ceasefire violation till late tonight when the reports last came in,’’ official sources told the Excelsior.
The Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch district was also calm for past three nights.
During past 10 days of shelling along the IB and LoC, eight civilians including five women have been killed and nearly 100 including Army and BSF personnel were injured while there was huge loss of property including houses, shops, cattle sheds and other structures.
Sources said the BSF has strengthened presence all along the IB notwithstanding temporary thaw in the shelling and firing and was ready to retaliate any fresh ceasefire violations from Pakistan side. They added that it was very heavy and effective retaliation by the BSF in the past few days in which Pakistan suffered large scale casualties and damage that they were forced not to open shelling and firing last night.
Meanwhile, over 3000 more people today migrated from forward areas of Hiranagar, Arnia, Kanachak and Pargwal and took shelter in the Government school buildings and religious places identified for them by the administration. With this, number of the migrants, who have left their houses on the borders due to Pakistan shelling and firing, has risen to around 33,000. A number of them have taken shelter in the houses of their relatives in safer areas.
According to sources, no incident of firing was reported along IB in entire Kathua, Jammu and Samba districts, although Pak rangers attacked four outposts in Hiranagar last evening and the Indian side gave a proper response to it.
Defence Minister Arun Jaitley had warned Pakistan if it persists with this adventurism on the border, Indian forces will make the cost of this adventurism unaffordable.
Recent flare-up was triggered on October 1 when a soldier of the Indian Army was killed near Balnoi while patrolling the Line of Control in Mendhar sector.
Sources said Pakistan Rangers and the terrorist elements tried to exploit the situation arising out of the worst ever floods that ravaged Jammu and Kashmir and the large part of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
The fence along the Line of Control in some stretches was washed away and militants, with the active support of Pakistan army, attempted to take advantage of these gaps, sources said.
India and Pakistan troops traded heavy fire along the IB on the intervening night of October 7 and 8 after Pakistan Rangers shelled almost the entire IB by targeting 70 Border Out Posts (BOPs) and over 150 border hamlets in Jammu, Samba and Kathua districts.
There have been over three dozen ceasefire violations along IB since October 1.
On October 8, two women of a family were killed and 15 others injured in heavy mortar shelling and firing by Pakistani troops along the IB.
Five villagers were killed and 35 injured on the intervening night of October 5 and 6 in heavy mortar shelling and firing from across the IB and LoC in Jammu and Poonch sectors.
On October 3, Pakistani troops and Rangers violated ceasefire four times by shelling forward areas and villages along the LoC and IB in Poonch and Jammu sector in Jammu region in which a girl was killed and six persons were injured.
On October 2, Pakistani troops targeted border hamlets in forward areas along LoC in Poonch district by shelling them with mortar bombs and firing resulting in injuries to six civilians.
To disrupt the upcoming Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, the militant leadership in Pakistan is desperate to push in large number of militants into the Indian side to carry out terrorism-related activities, sources said.
Meanwhile, in view of prevailing condition at border due to firing and shelling , Deputy Commissioner Kathua today ordered the closure of all educational institutions both Government and private of Marheen and Hiranagar educational blocks for two more days i.e October 11 & 12.
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