The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), in a press briefing on Thursday, said it had summoned Pakistan's Deputy High Commissioner and stated that, despite calls for restraint, Pakistan has violated the ceasefire 27 times between 12 and 21 November.
The MEA called in Pakistan’s Deputy High Commissioner on Wednesday and issued a demarche, the fourth one this month, on continued ceasefire violations from the other side of the Line of Control (LoC).Vikas Swarup, MEA Spokesperson
When asked about the possibility of bilateral talks, he said: “Talks and terror can't go together. The environment has to be terror free for talks to take place.”
In the address, Swarup also said that the Ministry will not be attending the Heart of Asia Conference in Amritsar, which Pakistan’s Foreign Affairs Advisor Sartaj Aziz is visiting India for. When asked if bilateral talks will take place with Aziz, he said: “Not ruling out or ruling in anything, but not in a position to confirm.”
The government also conveyed concerns over continued infiltration attempts by armed terrorists from across the LoC, adding that during the last week itself, there were 15 such instances.
Swarup added that the government protested “the deliberate targeting by Pakistani army of 18 villages along the LoC during 16-21 November”.
India Will Not Forget for Generations If Pak Launches Surgical Strikes: Gen Sharif
Upping the ante, Pakistan on Thursday warned India that its "battle hardened" military is capable of responding to any aggression, with army chief General Raheel Sharif saying that if ever Pakistan launched surgical strikes, India would not be able to forget it for generations to come.
Just days before his scheduled retirement on 29 November, General Sharif said:
India would be teaching its children as part of syllabus what a surgical strike means if Pakistan launched such strikes.
He also dismissed India's assertion that it had carried out surgical strikes in Pakistan. He said that Pakistan army was capable of teaching Indian forces a lesson.
Meanwhile, Pakistan naval chief Admiral Muhammad Zakaullah on Thursday termed as "unusual" the alleged effort by an Indian submarine to enter into its territorial waters and warned of retaliation if such effort was made again.
If India does something like this again, Pakistan Navy will respond to protect our sovereignty.Admiral Muhammad Zakaullah, Pakistan naval chief
Army Foils Two Infiltration Bids in Kashmir
The Indian Army on Thursday said it foiled two infiltration bids by militants from across the Line of Control (LoC) into Jammu and Kashmir during the last 18 hours.
“Two infiltration attempts by terrorists were foiled in the last 18 hours in the Gulmarg and Nowgam sectors in the Kashmir Valley,” the Army’s Northern Command said.
Alert troops pushed back the intruders after heavy exchange of fire, the army said. Army sources told IANS that there was no casualty among its soldiers when the two infiltration bids were foiled.
(With inputs from IANS)
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