Ceasefire violations: Rajnath Singh calls meet with Swaraj, Parrikar

Home Minister Rajnath Singh today called an urgent meeting with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar to review the overall situation in the wake of fresh ceasefire violations by Pakistan along the border in Jammu and Kashmir.

The high-level meeting is tentatively scheduled to be held at the Home Ministry in the North Block with National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval in attendance.

Sources said Singh has called for the meeting to undertake a complete review of the emerging situation and in the backdrop of hectic developments on the security and diplomatic fronts on the issue in the last two days.

Border Security Force (BSF) Director General D K Pathak also met Doval at his office earlier in the day and briefed him about the ground security situation along the border, they said.

The latest developments come barely a week after Prime Ministers of India and Pakistan met in Russia breaking the deadlock and deciding to re-engage.

The two neighbours, however, were back to a blame game today over ceasefire violations with both sides lodging protests.

While India lodged protests with Pakistan both in New Delhi and in Islamabad, the Pakistan Foreign Office summoned Indian High Commissioner and lodged a strong protest over "air space violation" by an alleged Indian "spy" drone near the Line of Control and "ceasefire violation".

Along the border in Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistani Rangers today indulged in heavy firing and mortar shelling on five border outposts and some villages in Jammu district which left four persons injured, a day after a woman was killed in the ceasefire violations prompting India to lodge protests with Pakistan.

There have been a total of nine ceasefire violations during July. A woman, Poli Devi, was killed and six others, including two BSF jawans, were injured yesterday in firing and mortar shelling in Jammu district by Pakistan Rangers.

The latest round of ceasefire violations come ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's scheduled visit to Jammu tomorrow to attend the centenary celebrations of former state Finance Minister Girdhari Lal Dogra.