Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, October 16, 2001
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Online edition of India's National Newspaper Tuesday, October 16, 2001 |
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Indian troops shell Pak. posts
By Shujaat Bukhari
SRINAGAR, OCT. 15. The Army today shelled Pakistani posts in the
Mendhar and Akhnoor sectors, destroying at least 11. Twelve
militants had infiltrated from Mendhar on Sunday and some others
had damaged two transformers and electric poles in the Akhnoor
sector.
Confirming that troops acted in these sectors to engage the
Pakistani side, Brigadier General Staff of the Jammu-based 16
Corps, Brig. P.C. Das, said that the Army had fired back to teach
the Pakistanis a lesson because these posts had been used to help
militants cross over to the Indian side in Mendhar on Sunday.
Eleven militants were killed in the shelling.
``We know that they aid, abet and facilitate terrorists to cross
over,'' Brig. Das said. ``So we cannot be mere spectators.''
PTI reports from Jammu:
The troops used heavy weapons such as machine guns, artillery
guns, mortars and rockets. ``Twelve terrorists were killed
because of the effective firing by Indian soldiers,'' a defence
spokesman said. ``This is a punitive step against the Pakistan
Army's repeated involvement in abetting terrorist activities
across the Line of Control and the International Border in the
Mendhar sector.''
He said the Indian Army had inflicted largescale damage to
Pakistani military bunkers, fortifications and other military
facilities. Similar operations were also carried out in the
Akhnoor sector.
``We have taken effective punitive action. We have completely
destroyed their posts,'' Brig. Das said.
Pakistani troops responded by firing from machine guns and
mortars, defence sources said, adding that the face-off between
the two armies continued past midnight.
By B. Muralidhar Reddy
ISLAMABAD, OCT. 15 Pakistan has accused India of resorting to
unprovoked and indiscriminate firing on the working boundary and
contested the Indian claim that 11 of its posts had been
destroyed.
A spokesman of the Pakistan Army accused Indian troops of
starting indiscriminate firing in the Pukhlian sector at 5.15
p.m. and also in the Rawalkot sector. He said one woman was
killed and 25 injured in the firing on civilian targets by the
Indian forces. ``The Pakistan Rangers responded effectively and
caused considerable damage on the other side.''
By Atul Aneja
NEW DELHI, OCT. 15. India today blamed Pakistan for carrying out
``deliberate disinformation by exaggerating the incidents along
the Line of Control (LoC)'' and said that Islamabad was
``misusing of the visit of the U.S. Secretary of State, Gen.
Colin Powell, to the subcontinent to its advantage''.
The spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs acknowledged
that the Army had resorted to firing in Akhnoor and Mandher but
said no artillery fire was used in the confrontation with the
infiltrators, who were attempting to lay improvised mines.
The Army fired in self-defence using infantry weapons, including
81-mm mortars. The bunkers that were hit were located very close
to the LoC, the spokesperson said.
She pointed out that a local battalion unit was involved in the
incident. ``To exaggerate the report or any other part of it is
deliberate disinformation by the Pakistan side.'' India, she
added, remained committed to maintaining peace and tranquility
across the LoC, unless provoked to retaliate in self-defence.
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