By KUNA,
New Delhi : India Tuesday made a strong protest with Pakistan for ceasefire violation and resultant cross-border firing at an Indian Army post along the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir. “India has lodged a strong protest with Pakistan over yesterday’s firing of rockets on an Indian position in Brachar forward area of Swajian sub-sector in Poonch district,” news agency Press Trust of India reported, quoting an Indian Defence Ministry source. Company commanders of two armies held a meeting at ‘Chakan-Da-Bagh crossing point’ along the LoC in Poonch district this morning where the India lodged a strong protest, the source said. Indian commanders also provided their Pakistani counterparts evidence of the rocket firing, the source added. Pakistan has agreed to investigate yesterday’s incident. It was the 22nd violation of the Indo-Pak ceasefire along the LoC by Pakistan troopers since January this year.
Infiltration bids into Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir from across the border have also increased during this summer ahead of the Jammu and Kashmir state Assembly elections scheduled for October this year, the source asserted. Nearly hundred infiltration attempts have been reported in the last eight months from across the LoC. Both countries have been maintaining ceasefire along LoC since 2003. LoC divides Indian-administered and Pakistan-administered Jammu and Kashmir. Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, who met his Pakistani counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani on the sidelines of the 15th South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation summit at Colombo on August 2, had voiced that the such recent actions from across the border had put bilateral dialogue under stress. During the meeting Singh stated that increased infiltration of insurgents from Pakistan into Jammu and Kashmir and violations of the ceasefire along LoC by Pakistani troopers are some of the main factors that had affected the bilateral relations. Singh categorically told Gilani that such attacks must end for India and Pakistan to improve bilateral ties.