No unprovoked attack from across the border shall go unanswered: Sitharaman

'The Defence ministry's role is not to assess whether ceasefire in Jammu and Kashmir has been successful or not,' she added

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday said no unprovoked attack from across the border shall go unanswered and defence forces have been given room to hit back.

The minister was responding to questions on the firing along the Indo-Pak border despite the two sides agreeing for a truce.

"We shall keep our borders safe, forces have been given room to respond to any unprovoked firing. We shall ensure that no unprovoked attack goes without response," she said.

The defence minister also said it is not her ministry's role to determine whether the ongoing Ramzan ceasefire in Jammu and Kashmir has been successful or not.

"We have been given room to hit back when there is unprovoked attack. The Defence ministry's role is not to assess whether ceasefire in Jammu and Kashmir has been successful or not," Sitharaman said.

In response to a question on the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) sanctions impacting Indo-Russian defence ties, the minister said it has conveyed to the USA that New Delhi procures its defence equipment and spare parts from Moscow.

The sanctions, she said, cannot impact this as the ties go a long way back.