Amritsar/Lahore: India on Monday told Pakistan
to probe the incident of firing of rockets on its soil from
across the border as such happenings posed a threat to
civilian lives and properties.
The Indian view was conveyed by a BSF delegation at
another flag meeting at the joint check post at Attari, amidst
Pakistan's continued denial of firing of rockets.
The flag meeting between the BSF and the Pakistan
Rangers was the second in last three days, to probe the cross
border attack.
Briefing newsmen on the meeting, BSF IGP Himmat Singh
said the Indian side had told the Pakistanis to get the matter
probed by some investigating agency.
The BSF team at the meeting also showed the Pakistan
Rangers evidence of splinters of five rockets fired from
across the international border.
Though the Pakistanis maintained that its forces had not
fired the rockets, they offered to bring to light those behind
it.
Media reports from Lahore said that the Pakistani side had
registered a protest over what Rangers' spokesman Nadeem Raza
described as indiscriminate firing from the Indian side.
No one was hurt in Friday's incident, which reflected
the fragile ties between the two countries in the wake of last
year's Mumbai attacks.
The BSF also handed over to its counterparts visual
evidence of the incident in the form of photographs published
in Indian media.
The Indian side at the meeting was led by DIG Mohammed
Aqueel and the Pakistani side by Brigadier Kamran Waheed.
Pakistan had fired five rockets on the Indian territory
which hit agriculture fields around 10 pm at villages Modhey,
Dhoneya Khurd, Rattan Kallan and Dalekey in Amritsar district.
The BSF had retaliated by firing from machine guns.
The incident happened the day when the BSF deployed its
first batch of women constables on the same border.
Giving details of the flag meeting, the BSF IGP said
"We informed Pakistanis of earlier such attacks on July 4,
this year when three rockets were fired from Pakistan side
which fell on the Indian side."
But, he said, even then the Pakistanis remained adamant
denying that rockets were fired from their soil and had not
carried out any investigation.
Sing said, "We told Pakistanis that in future if such
incidents occur, India would strongly retaliate and no more
tolerate such kind of attacks, which endanger the safety of
civilians and public property on Indian side."
The BSF IGP said Islamabad was told that strict
precaution should be taken to ensure that in such firings, the
joint check post at Attari was not targeted as it was a
transit point for travellers.
Singh said that Pakistan Rangers agreed with the Indian
proposal and assured to enhance security on JPC Attari/Wagah
border forthwith.
To Pakistan Rangers' complaint that Karewala Singh Post
in their soil was attacked by BSF, the Indian side said that
it was a reaction in self defence against the area from where
the rockets were fired.
The BSF IG, however, did not rule out the involvement of
Lashkar-e-Taiba in the incident.
Meanwhile, the remains of rocket shells were handed over
to local police for forensic tests, Singh said in Jalandhar
later.
Bureau Report
First Published: Monday, September 14, 2009, 19:30