Indian Army's punitive LoC fire: Pak DGMO seeks unscheduled talks on hotline

Pakistan DGMO informed of civilian casualties on their side by Indian firing along the Line of Control.

Lt Gen Ranbir Singh has expressed grief at Pakistan civilian casualties but emphatically stated that retaliatory firing by Indian troops has only been carried out targeting locations from where Pakistan has initiated cease fire violations on Indian Posts.

Singh also expressed his concerns to Pakistani DGMO on casualties caused to Indian civilians and soldiers due to unprovoked firing from the neighbouring country.

This comes after at least eight people were killed and nine others injured on Wednesday in the shelling by  Indian army that hit a passenger bus along the Line of Control (LoC) near Neelum valley in the Pak occupied Kashmir, media reports in Pakistan claimed.

Indian DGMO further raised the issue of infiltration attempts by terrorists from Pakistani side into J&K and the un-ethical act of mutilation of the body of Indian soldiers close to the Line of Control by terrorists infiltrating from the neighbouring country.

Pakistani DGMO was exhorted to exercise strict control on their troops to refrain from any nefarious activities.

"This would lead to return of normalcy along Line of Control," he said.

However, he was categorically informed that if any cease fire violations were initiated by Pakistani troops or any infiltration attempts were made by terrorists from Pak Occupied Kashmir or territory under its control, it would invite an appropriate response by Indian Army.

In a repeat act by Pakistani commandos three weeks ago, an Indian soldier in Kashmir was beheaded and two others were killed close to the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir's Machhal sector on Tuesday.

The act prompted  the Indian Army to threaten a retribution.

The army said the body of one soldier has been mutilated.

According to reports, the intruders, allegedly from Pakistan, have allegedly escaped.

This  act comes just three weeks after Sepoy Mandeep Singh was beheaded not far from Tuesday's spot.

Amid mass anger in India over the Uri attack in Kashmir, India in September carried out surgical strikes crossing the Line of Control (LoC) into Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, targeting terrorist launchpads working from within the neighbouring country.