Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju on Wednesday rejected the notion of holding of a flag meeting between India and Pakistan, stating the ceasefire violations by Pakistan and the appropriate retaliations by India as reasons.
“As per the situation there is not going to be any kind of flag meeting because our forces are responding appropriately and we’ll see whatever the outcome is there,” said Rijiju.
“From our side we will not do anything to escalate. But we will respond appropriately as per the requirement of the situation,” he added.
Meanwhile, Minister of State (MoS) in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) Jitendra Singh who was at Jammu and Kashmir’s RS Pura sector, said that the people of the area are feeling confident at least for once that there is a befitting reply from Indian side.
“We held a meeting with senior officers of the Border Security Force (BSF). The people over here are feeling happy that for once, there is a benefiting reply from the Indian side. The other side is also realizing the manner in which they are suffering casualties,” said Singh.
He added that every citizen of India has a reason to feel proud of the armed forces and that they have proved beyond doubt that they are not only capable of fighting the enemy on the border but also of calamity within as they did during the recent floods in the state.
Jammu Inspector General (IG) Rakesh Kumar assured of appropriate response from the Indian forces at the border to Pakistan’s ceasefire violations.
“There is unprovoked firing from Pakistan, to protect our civilians we have to retaliate and we are doing so. The Civil administration has also advised the border population to move to safer side,” said Kumar.
He also criticised Pakistan for purposely targeting the Indian civilians by opening fire at night when they are at home.
A woman was killed while twenty others including three BSF personnel were injured as Pakistani forces resorted to mortar shelling and firing along the entire International Border and the Line of Control in Jammu.
Meanwhile, India has decided to put on hold the proposal for a flag meeting at the Commander-level along the border in Jammu and Kashmir. (ANI)