JAMMU: The JK Nationalist Congress Party today questioned the "silence" of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on a string of ceasefire violations along the borders by Pakistan, calling for a "befitting reply".
While condemning the killing of six civilians in the Pakistan shelling from August 15-16, the party stated that it was a "matter of shame" that the neighbouring nation was offering both 'talks and guns'.
"What a sad state of affairs that Pakistan Prime minister Nawaz Sharif sent his greetings to Modi saying let us promote friendly ties but at the same time shelled out villages killing our people.
"Whom is the Pakistan befooling and our Prime minister is quiet. He has preferred to remain silent," former minister and President J&K Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Thakur Randhir Singh told reporters here.
"We condemn the killings of 6 innocent civilians on LOC in Poonch in Pak shelling. It is shameful on the part of Pakistan that five people died in shelling by Pak on Independence day", he said.
Pakistani troops violated the ceasefire twice overnight by pounding civilian hamlets and Indian forward posts with 120 mm and 82 mm mortar bombs along the LoC in Poonch district, drawing retaliation from the Army.
This is the ninth consecutive day that Pakistan has violated the ceasefire. There have been 40 violations of the 2003 ceasefire accord in August. There has been over 230 ceasefire violations along the Indo-Pak border this year.
Talking about the need for a tougher stand in the wake of such violations, Singh said that NCP Chief Sharad Pawar, during his stint as the Defence minister (1991-93), gave a befitting reply to the Pakistani forces.
"An Indian Army officer was killed inside LoC and the biggest counter-offensive was launched with long range guns. Many Army Jawans and officers of Pakistan were killed in action.
"Sharad Pawar had then justified his action by saying in the Parliament that the action taken by Indian Army will force Pakistan to think ten times before attacking any part of the state. That remained a reality for many years," Singh said.
The state NCP leader alleged that the Pakistani army is increasingly becoming "an independent and powerful institution" and resort to firing in Poonch and Rajouri sector, whenever they lay their hands on new ammunition.
Pakistan is using Poonch, Rajouri and Jammu border as their firing range for heavy weapons which they are getting from the USA and China, he added.