After Pak Shelling, Pressure on Government to Take Tough Stand on Talks

Mangalore Today News Network

Jammu, Aug 17, 2015:  As over a hundred heavy mortar shells landed from across the border in Jammu and Kashmir’s Balakote, pressure grew on the Narendra Modi government to take a strong stand over National Security Advisor level talks with Pakistan later this month.

Tensions seemed to escalate after Pakistan blamed India for the ceasefire violations.

"In the month of July and August, there have been 70 ceasefire violations from this side across from LoC and the working border," said Abdul Basit, the Pakistan High Commissioner whom New Delhi had summoned earlier today to lodge a strong protest about the shelling.

Six people have died and 10 have been injured in Balakote, where shelling and firing had been on since Saturday evening. Ceasefire violations have taken place in two other places in Jammu and Kashmir since yesterday.

With Pakistan’s belligerence increasing, the opposition Congress has said the NSA level talks, expected to be held in Delhi on August 23, should be put on hold.

"As long as these outrageous attacks go on and Pakistan does nothing to stop them, India should call off talks," senior Congress leader Manish Tiwari told NDTV.

PM Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif had decided on resuming dialogue during their meeting in Ufa in June and the NSA-level talks were expected to be the ice-breaker. But since their talks, the violence at the border has only escalated.

Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, who visited the injured in a Jammu hospital today, directly targeted the Prime Minister - who is currently on a two-day visit to the UAE - for not sending a tough message to Pakistan from the ramparts of the Red Fort on Saturday.

"Modi-ji used to speak about a 56-inch chest, but nothing could be seen in his actions yesterday," he said.

Last year, in August, India had called off foreign secretary level talks after Mr Basit had met Kashmiri separatists despite India’s request not to do so.

 

Courtesy: NDTV