Ceasefire violations: Congress says 'time for concrete actions, not mere words'

Expressing serious concern over the recent ceasefire violations, the Congress Party on Monday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government to send a strong message to Pakistan.

"It is time for concrete actions, not mere words. Our repeated protests regarding ceasefire violations are beginning to sound limp to Pakistan since they are not backed by action," Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi told ANI.

"The ceasefire violations are consistent, continuous, egregious, long drawn-out and repeated," he added.

Congress leader Manish Tewari echoing similar sentiments reiterated his demand for calling off the NSA-level talks between both nations.

"Why does India want to talk to Pakistan? What do they expect out of the NSA-level talks?....All that we want is that terror should stop and, therefore, after what happened in Gurdaspur, what happened in Udhampur and the continuous firing across the LoC as well as the International Border makes a very strong case for calling of the NSA-level talks," Tewari said.

The Pakistani troops resorted to yet another ceasefire violation in Saujiyan Sector of Jammu and Kashmir.

The Indian troops have retaliated to this unprovoked firing, which began at 10 p.m. last night and lasted till 1 a.m.

However there is no casualty or injuries to anyone from the Indian side so far.

The Ministry of External Affairs had yesterday summoned Pakistan' High Commissioner to India, Abdul Basit, to register its protest over the recent ceasefire violations.

Basit, however, blamed India for the cross border firings and said that the Pakistan Government is concerned about it.

"We are concerned about the ceasefire violations. In the month of July and August, there have been close to around 70 ceasefire violations from this side of the working boundary. We are obviously very concerned about it," Basit said.

Since Saturday, heavy shelling and firing by Pakistani forces in Balakot Sector of Poonch district has left six civilians killed and 20 others injured.