ISLAMABAD - Pakistani and Indian troops traded fire across their disputed frontier over the weekend, when Muslims celebrated Eidul Fitr, injuring several civilians and raising tension despite a recent agreement aimed at improving ties.
Eidul Fitr, marking the end of the fasting month of Ramazan, has in the past been an occasion for gestures of reconciliation between the two sides, such as an exchange of festive sweets, in Kashmir. But not this year.
Pakistan said Indian forces had fired small arms, rockets, mortars and heavy machine guns across the border. "Pakistan lodges protest at the provocative act," the Pakistani government said in a statement, adding that the violence contradicted the "spirit of the understanding" the two prime ministers reached at their recent talks in Russia.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met his Pakistani counterpart, Nawaz Sharif, at a summit in Russia this month and they agreed that their top security officials would hold talks.
The nuclear-armed neighbours also agreed to expedite the trial of people charged in connection with a 2008 attack on the Indian city of Mumbai. Modi also accepted an invitation from Sharif to visit Pakistan. But clashes on their disputed northern frontier in recent days have raised doubts about any real thaw.
In a related development, a team of the United Nations Military Observers Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) on Monday visited the most affected villages on working boundary near Sialkot due to Indian unprovoked shelling/firing.
According to an ISPR statement, the UN team visited Saleh Pur, Chaprar and Malane in Chaprar Sector and met with wounded civilians and witnessed firsthand account of Indian atrocities on civil population.
The UNMOGIP officers based in Rawalpindi flew by helicopter into the affected area.
The visit comes after five people were killed and dozens others injured as the Indian BSF resorted to unprovoked firing along the Working Boundary near Sialkot last week.
The Pakistan Army on Friday registered India's ceasefire violations with the UNMOGIP. According to the military's media wing, the ISPR, the Pakistan Army highlighted the Indian use of heavy mortars and machine guns on civil population living along the Working Boundary (WB) and the LoC. It also asked the UNMOGIP to use its good offices to investigate the Indian ceasefire violations.
Earlier, the Foreign Office expressed its deep concern over the unprovoked ceasefire violations by the Indian security forces at the LoC and the offensive posture adopted during the last few days.
According to a statement, the Foreign Office said that the Indian troops violated the ceasefire, by opening fire on a front of 11 kilometres at Rawalakot (Nezapir) - Poonch Sector at the LoC, which continued intermittently for several hours. They used small arms, rockets, mortars and heavy machine gunfire.
The Foreign Office regretted that once again the ceasefire violations by the Indian troops are being committed during the Eid holidays, as was done by them last year, when many innocent civilians were martyred. This time four civilians lost their lives on 15 and 16 July when the people were busy preparing for the most happy and sacred occasion of Eidul Fitr.
The Government of Pakistan expressed its profound condolences over the loss of precious lives. "Our heart goes out to the bereaved families, who lost their beloved ones", the statement added.
Pakistan lodged protest at the provocative act, which is against the spirit of the understanding reached at the Ufa meeting, and hoped that the Indian Government would observe the understanding reached between the two sides during 2003 to maintain peace and tranquillity at the LoC and Working Boundary in the letter and spirit.
Earlier, Pakistan's Foreign Office had summoned Indian High Commissioner Dr TCA Raghavan and registered a strong protest with him over violation of Pakistani airspace by an Indian drone.