New Delhi: Foreign secretary S Jaishankar had said recently that India was committed to dialogue with Pakistan but would give “effective and forceful” responses to unprovoked firing and cross-border terrorism.
As agreed in Ufa, the three levels of talks — between the national security advisers, directors-general of military operations and chiefs of border guard forces — will be held.
The first meeting between the DGs of the BSF and Pakistan Rangers will be held September 9-13. “The three levels of talks will go on notwithstanding whatever happens on the border,” sources said. During the past few days, tension has also escalated between the two nations on the visa front as they got involved in a “visa war” with both sides accusing each other of not issuing assignment visas to their diplomats.
Meanwhile, official sources told agencies that the Pakistan Army opened “unprovoked firing” on Indian Army positions in the Shah Pur Kerni area of Poonch sector at around 1.50 pm on Saturday and that intermittent firing was on when reports last came in.
The officer said the Indian side has effectively retaliated to the firing from across the border. Saturday’s ceasefire violation is the second such violation on the Line of Control in the past 12 hours. The Pakistan Army had resorted to “unprovoked” firing on Indian positions in the Naushera sector of Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir at 9.25 pm on Friday.
