A day after the Border Security Force (BSF) announced that it killed 15 Pakistani Rangers in cross-border retaliation, defense expert M.M. Khajuria said this proves the capability of the country's paramilitary force and also India's goal of choosing its targets very carefully to avoid collateral damage and civilian casualties.
"Every time they indulge in ceasefire firings where the intention is not only to hit the BSF and the army but also, indulge in collateral damage and kill civilians. Now, as a result, this cross-border firing has been happening regularly along the LoC and the IB, and now, the stage has come where retaliation has to be effective. The killing of 15 Rangers' shows that we have chosen the target carefully," Khajuria told ANI.
Asserting that ceasefire violations were initially started by Pakistan, Khajuria said it is high time the International Border and the Line of Control, which has been receiving heavy shellings, witness peace, and tranquillity.
"We hope that Pakistan learns a lesson. This does not bode well for the long-term relations between the two sides, whether it is by civilians or the armed forces," he said.
The paramilitary force yesterday said it had killed 15 Pakistani Rangers while retaliating to cross-border shelling and firing in which two Indian civilians were killed and two injured in the Jammu region.
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Pakistani troops fired mortar shells using automatic weapons and targeted civilian areas along the International Border and Line of Control in Jammu, Kathua, Poonch and Rajouri districts of Jammu and Kashmir.
The BSF further said that as per the ammunition used in firing and shelling, it appeared that Pakistani Army is supporting its paramilitary Rangers along the IB.
Border Security Force (BSF) Additional Director General, Western Frontier, Arun Kumar, said yesterday that if Pakistan continues with the cross-border firing, the BSF will reply befittingly.
"We will never take the initiative to fire upon the civilian population. But, if they will continue to fire, as they have been doing, then they will be getting a befitting reply from the BSF and the Indian side," said Kumar.
Talking about causalities on the Pakistani side, Kumar said, "We can only give the count of people which we have seen or with some instrument. And if we continue the figure after snipping then the count is nearly 15."
This is the sixth ceasefire violation in the last 12 hours by the Pakistani Rangers.
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh spoke to the chief of Border Security Force on Thursday, asking them to give a "fitting response".
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