New Delhi: The Indian Army returned the dead body of Pakistani soldier, who was killed in a firefight after he had crossed the Line of Control in the Nowshera sub-sector, with ‘military respects’ on Friday evening.
"On 14 February at approx 1500 hours, own troops at Laam post in Rajouri sector observed suspicious movement along the Indian side of LoC. On being challenged by a patrol party, the infiltrator opened indiscriminate fire injuring two jawans. In the ensuing encounter the infiltrator was killed and one AK-56 rifle along with some other warlike stores recovered. The body of the deceased was later handed over to the J&K Police (PS Naroka)," said an Indian Army spokesperson, Col Jagdeep Dahiya.
"On 15 February at approx 1000 hrs, the Pakistan DGMO made an unscheduled call to the Indian DGMO requesting for the soldier’s body to be returned. Acceding to this request, the dead body was returned to Pakistan Army personnel in the same sector in the evening with military respects," he added.
Colonel Dahiya further said ''it is also pertinent to note that Pakistan troops violated the ceasefire by resorting to heavy unprovoked automatic fire on Indian posts in Mendhar Sector from 2000-2100 hr on February 14''.
The Indian Army spokesperson earlier in the day confirmed fresh incidents of ceasefire violations in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri Sector.
Colonel Jagdeep Dahiya said there have been two incidents of ceasefire violations in the Rajouri Sector yesterday, one in the Krishna Ghati sub-sector and another in the Nowshera sub-sector.
A string of clashes along the 742-km LoC last month marked the worst violations of ceasefire that was put in place by India and Pakistan in late 2003. Two Indian soldiers were killed, including Lance Naik Hemraj who was beheaded by Pakistani troopers in an attack along the Line of Control in Mendhar Sector of Jammu and Kashmir on January 8.
India had strongly protested to Pakistan about the killing of the two jawans. Pakistan had denied India’s claim that its troops crossed the Line of Control to ambush a patrol party in the Mendhar sector in Poonch district.
The clashes had sparked a war of words before the Directors General of Military Operations of the two sides agreed on steps to de-escalate the situation.
ANI
First Published: Friday, February 15, 2013, 12:42