Girl killed, child injured in unprovoked Indian fire in Shakargarh sector
Intermittent firing of heavy weapons by Indian BSF continues in Shakargarh sector.
SIALKOT (Web Desk) – A 13-year-old girl died while a 5-year-old child was injured in unprovoked Indian firing in the Shakargarh sector of the Sialkot working boundary on Saturday morning, Dunya News reported.
The BSF soldiers continued unprovoked firing in the border villages in Shakargarh sector including Chak Baiga, Sakmal, Jagwal and Nangal.
"13-years-old Sumaira, resident of... Zafarwal sector embraced martyrdom due to the firing (and) 8-year-old Mursaleen of... Shakargarh sector got injured," military statement said.
Firing from across the boundary also killed several livestock and damaged dozens of houses.
Meanwhile, Pakistan Ranger troops effectively responded to Indian firing in a befitting manner.
Earlier on Friday, the Adviser to the Prime Minister on National Security and Foreign Affairs forwarded a letter to the Indian Minister of External Affairs to lodge protest on the killing of two soldiers of the Punjab Rangers in Zafarwal Sector.
Condemning the action of the Indian Border Security Force, the Adviser in his letter lodged the Government of Pakistan’s strong protest with the Government of India, calling for an immediate investigation into the incident and bringing the perpetrators to account.
The letter underlines that the regrettable ambush of the soldiers would undermine mechanisms established by the two countries to ensure peace and tranquility along the Line of Control (LoC) and the Working Boundary.
The Adviser’s letter was handed over to the Indian High Commissioner by the Foreign Secretary. Expressing concern at the way the incident had taken place, the Foreign Secretary underlined that the incident was not only in contravention to the rules of engagement, but also amounted to breach of trust of Pakistani soldiers in these mechanisms.
The Foreign Secretary also impressed upon the Indian High Commissioner that it was not in Pakistan’s interest to ratchet up tension on the LoC and WB, since our law enforcement agencies and armed forces were fully engaged in combating terrorism and militancy across the country. The Indian insinuations that Pakistan supported infiltration attempts were, therefore, far removed from reality.
On December 31, 2014, the Indian Border Security Force troops invited the personnel of the Punjab Rangers for a flag meeting, but greeted the unsuspecting soldiers with a volley of unprovoked fire, causing severe injuries to two soldiers. The unabated Indian firing denied timely medical attention to the wounded soldiers, who succumbed to their injuries and embraced Shahadat (martyrdom).
Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif as well as the entire nation took serious notice of the condemnable Indian aggression and expressed their shock and anger at the killing of the soldiers in cold blood.
Keeping in view the seriousness of the incident, the Foreign Secretary also briefed the Heads of the Missions of P-5 countries and the EU in Islamabad and emphasized the importance of maintaining ceasefire on the LoC and WB. He stressed the urgency of the international community playing its role in counselling India to refrain from actions that threaten peace and stability in the region.
