Rajnath calls Swaraj, Parrikar for urgent meeting: 10 key facts on ceasefire violation

In a heavy firing exchange between Indian and Pakistani troops on Thursday, four civilians and two armed personnel are said to have been injured on the Indian side. India has lodged a protest with Pakistan over the firing. It all began around 8.50 am when the Rangers opened sniper fire and injured a border guard in Pargwal sector. When a bulletproof vehicle was rushed to the site to evacuate him, they opened heavy machine gun fire on the vehicle. Frightened villagers living close to the International Border showed journalists bullet marks and gaping holes in their homes made by Pakistan shelling and firing. [caption id=“attachment_1679647” align=“alignleft” width=“380” class=" “]  Representational image. Image courtesy- AFP[/caption] Earlier this month too, India had alleged a ceasefire violation in Baramulla sector on July 9. This was just before bilateral talks between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif. Sources in the government told CNN IBN that  the attacks by Pakistan are not a coincidence but a deliberate attempt to derail the peace process. India has maintained that its border forces have only fired in retaliation and Pakistan is killing civilians in India for no reasons. Home Minister Rajnath Singh has called an urgent meeting with external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj and defence minister Manohar Parrikar to take stock of the situation following the ceasefire violation. National Security Advisor Ajit Doval is also to attend the meeting. Here are the important news events related to the issue- 1) Five border outposts and some civilian areas have been targeted by the Pakistani armed forces. These outposts are in RS Pura and Tawi forward belts of Jammu district. 2) The first incident on July 15 involved an attack on civilians in Akhnoor sector, in which one woman died and three were injured. This was after mortar shelling in the area. The woman who died was identified as Poli Devi. 3) The 21 Chenab Rangers (Pakistan) unit was said to have done the shelling, after which they also fired sniper rounds at the Border Security Force (BSF), injuring one personnel. 4) A day later, Pakistani forces have now targeted the RS Pura and Tawi forward belts, leading to four civilians suffering injuries. The clashes took place between the Pakistani Rangers and the Border Security Force (BSF) personnel. 5) Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit Jammu on Friday to attend the centenary celebrations of former state Finance Minister Girdhari Lal Dogra. 6) On the other side of the border, Pakistani newspaper Dawn has reported that three Pakistani civilians were killed and five were injured after firing by BSF personnel in Sialkot. 7) Dawn also reported that another civilian was killed in another instance in Rawalkot. 8) Last year, there had been 562 ceasefire violations by Pakistan in all, the highest in 11 years, agencies reported. More than 32,000 people living in border villages had to move out and take shelter in camps set up by the government. 9) This month alone, there have been nine violations, Indian forces have alleged. One of them, on July 9th, took place on the eve of talks between the prime ministers of the two countries in Russia. This was on the sidelines of the Shanghai Co-operation Organization summit. 10) Even as the clashes are taking place, Pakistan has accused India of sending a “spy drone” which was said to have been used for aerial photography. Indian High Commissioner TCA Raghavan was summoned to Pakistan’s Foreign Office in Islamabad. The Indian armed forces, however, have denied the incident. Intelligence sources claimed that the drone in the picture is a Chinese made DJI Phantom 3, and that India doesn’t buy any drones from China.