One Pakistani soldier, 5 civilians martyred in Indian troops shelling
Staff Reporter
Rawalpindi
Nine soldiers of the Indian Army were killed and several others injured as the Pakistan Army “effectively responded” to New Delhi’s unprovoked ceasefire violations along the Line of Control, the Inter-Services Public Relations said on Sunday.
In a series of tweets, DG ISPR Major General Asif Ghafoor said Pakistan destroyed two Indian bunkers after Indian forces deliberately targeted civilians in Jura, Shahkot and Nousheri sectors.
He said one Pakistani soldier and three civilians were martyred in the exchange of fire, while two soldiers and five civilians suffered injuries. Two of the five injured civilians succumbed to their injuries later, raising the number of civilian deaths to five.
Maj-Gen Ghafoor said the Indian army was targeting innocent civilians in “an attempt to justify their false claims of targeting alleged camps.” He asserted that India’s ceasefire violations would always garner a befitting response from Pakistan. “Pakistan Army shall protect innocent civilians along LOC & inflict unbearable cost to Indian Army,” he said.
Maj-Gen Ghafoor said India’s attempts to lay the ground for a false flag operation and would “continue to be exposed with truth.” He added that the Indian military was now “raising white flag” as it faced difficulties in retrieving the dead and evacuating the injured.
The ISPR chief warned the Indians to “think before initiating unprovoked CFVs” and urged them to “respect military norms” that call for protecting innocent civilians. He denounced the Indian media for “falsely claiming targeting of alleged camps” in Pakistan. He challenged the Indians to “get access to IOJ&K and have moral courage to cover damages caused by Pak Army.”
Maj-Gen Ghafoor advised Indian journalists to learn from their Pakistani counterparts as he urged them to follow journalistic ethics and report with responsibility.
Prime Minister Imran Khan strongly condemned the unprovoked firing by Indian security forces on civilian population along the Line of Control in a statement issued by the PM Office.
He prayed for the departed souls and early recovery of the injured. The premier saluted the Pakistan Army for their bravery, valiance, and giving a befitting response to Indian security forces. He suggested that he hould not use his seminary students for the sack of his political gains.
Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Friday that the revival of Pakistan Steel Mills is a priority of the government, adding that the mills suffered heavily due to the negligence of the past governments.
Imran Khan was chairing a session related to the national steel mills, where he was briefed regarding options and methods for its revival. The PM said that the mills have caused a heavy dent to the national coffers, terming the situation faced by the mills as criminal negligence. In the briefing, the prime minister was told that for the restoration of the steel mills, Russian and Chinese companies have shown interest. In May this year, the federal government agreed to place Pakistan Steel Mills on the privatisation list.
The decision was taken during a meeting of the Economic Coordination Committee held on May 3 and chaired by Prime Minister’s Adviser on Finance Dr Abdul Hafeez Sheikh.
