Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said Indian soldiers had responded with courage to ceasefire violations by Pakistan while Defence Minister Arun Jaitley called Pakistan the “aggressor” which would have to bear an “unaffordable” cost for its “adventurism.”
“The enemy has realised that times have changed and their old habits will not be tolerated,” Mr. Modi said.
Mr. Modi accused his political opponents of using the border situation for electoral gains.
“Issues like ceasefire violations should not be a matter of debate for political gains.”
Giving Pakistan a stern warning, Mr. Jaitley said Pakistan has “clearly been the aggressor.”
“But it must realise that our deterrence will be credible. If Pakistan persists with this adventurism, our forces will make the cost of this adventurism unaffordable.”
Senior officials said Pakistan Rangers targeted 60 border outposts and over 80 villages in fresh mortar shelling and firing in Jammu, Samba and Kathua districts along the International Border, injuring three persons.
Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khwaja Asif warned India that it was fully capable of responding to any aggression. “We don’t want to convert the border tension between two nuclear neighbours into a confrontation,” he said.
(With additional reporting by Varghese K. George in Pune and PTI)
