New Delhi: The Border Security Force (BSF) and Pakistan Rangers met on Monday and decided to ensure peace on the border. The sector commander-level meeting was held at 17:30 pm. "Meeting went off in a conducive atmosphere with the prime focus to maintain peace and tranquillity on the border. It was further decided to hold next meeting on 21 June," PRO BSF (Jammu Frontier) was quoted as saying by ANI.
"Today's meeting is likely to bring firing-free environment, particularly for border area villagers on both sides. Commanders on both sides agreed to keep talks on at every level to develop confidence between two border guarding forces," he added.
The meeting comes after Pakistani troops again targeted Indian posts and villages along the International Border (IB) in Jammu and killed two BSF personnel, including an officer, on Sunday. The heavy firing and shelling from the Pakistani side for almost 12 hours in Pragwal area of Akhnoor, Kanachak and Khour sectors of Jammu district had ended 12 days of lull in the border skirmishes.
The Pakistani troops had resorted to unprovoked firing by targeting forward duty points at the IB in Pragwal around 01:15 hours, causing critical injuries to assistant sub-inspector SN Yadav (48) and constable VK Pandey (27), Inspector General of BSF, Jammu frontier, Ram Avtar had said. He had added that both the injured were rushed to a nearby hospital, but later succumbed to injuries.
The firing from across the border in violation of the ceasefire agreement prompted a strong and effective retaliation by the BSF, Avtar had further said. On May 29, 2018, the DGMOs of India and Pakistan had agreed to "fully implement" the ceasefire pact of 2003 in "letter and spirit" forthwith to stop border skirmishes in Jammu and Kashmir.
Meanwhile, the Pakistan Army said on Monday that said that there was no space for any war with India but warned that its desire for peace should not be mistaken for weakness. Addressing a press conference, Major General Asif Ghafoor, the Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) - the media wing of the army, accused India of carrying out 1,077 ceasefire violations since the start of 2018 to date. "Our defence, our desire for peace, should not be mistaken for weakness," he said, PTI reported.
Ghafoor added that Pakistan had not responded to Indian firing, which followed an agreement by the two countries' militaries to adhere to the 2003 ceasefire agreement, but was "compelled" to respond only when civilians were targeted, Dawn reported. He claimed that Pakistan wants to respect the truce agreement.
"The Indians have to realise and understand where they want to go (in the future). We are two nuclear powers and there is no space for war," Ghafoor said.
(With Agency inputs)
