The terror attack in Indian Punjab on Monday, July 27, 2015, has heightened tensions between India and Pakistan. Media reports indicated that ten people, including three civilians and a police superintendent, were killed when gunmen wearing army uniforms stormed a police station in northern Indian town of Gurdaspur near the border with Pakistan, sparking a shootout lasting almost 12 hours.
India has blamed Pakistan for the attack. Jitendra Singh, a junior minister in Prime Minister Modi's office, said he did not rule out Pakistan's involvement. "There have also been earlier reports of Pakistan infiltration and cross-border mischief in this area," said Singh, whose constituency in the Jammu region borders the Gurdaspur district of Punjab where the shootout took place.
The
chief Minister of Indian Punjab cancelled his meeting with the Pakistani High
Commissioner Abdul Basita day after of attack on police station
in Gurdaspur.
Pakistan has strongly condemned the terrorist attack in Gurdaspur. In a statement issued in Islamabad, the Foreign Office reiterated Pakistan's condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.
Pakistan has taken serious exception to the Indian accusations without any probe into the terrorist attack. Speaking at News One channel, a senior political analyst Dr. Shahid Masood, described it a false flag operation by the Indian intelligence. Dr. Masood described the Gurdaspur attack the brainchild of Ajit Kumar Doval, a former intelligence officer and now National Security Adviser to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He said it was reported that the three gunmen were disguised in Indian army uniforms. However when the bodies of the three were displayed they were in shalwar-qamees dress. Dr. Masood was of the view that the false flag operation came amid reports of disgruntlement among the Sikh soldiers of the Indian army. Recently three Sikh officers were court martialled.
Speaking during an interview at Nawa-e-Waqt TV network Retired General Zhid Mubashir responding to the Indian threats said that India should remember that Pakistan is the 7th nuclear power. He indicated that in any conflict with India Pakistan will consider nuclear option.
Menawhile, Pakistan military on Monday said there has been a
sudden spike in border and airspace violations by India along the Line of
Control in Kashmir and Sialkot Working Boundary.
It also released images and video clips
recovered from the internal memory of a reconnaissance drone shot down recently
by Pakistani forces, proving it had flown from Indian territory. Indian
military had denied claims saying none of its drones or UAVs had gone missing.
Indian troops committed 35 ceasefire violations
since 9th of last month, said a statement issued on Monday by Inter Services
Public Relations (ISPR), the media wing of Pakistan military.
India is exhibiting
aggressive posturing through enhanced movement of troops, extensive
reconnaissance, targeting of civilians and increased use of Unmanned Aerial
Vehicles (UAVs) and drones violating airspace of Pakistan, it said.
The statement said that one such drone mission
was flown on 15th of this month by India in which it intruded from Jaurian
Sector of Indian Occupied Kashmir and it was flying over Banchirian Sector near
Bhimber when Pakistani troops shot it down.
Hindustan Times said the terror attack in Punjab on Monday could deepen the mistrust in Indo-Pakistan relations, which saw signs of reconciliation after Prime Minister Narendra Modi met his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif in the Russian city of Ufa this month.
The attack came at a time national security advisers of the two countries were scheduled to meet in New Delhi, which was decided at Modi and Sharif's Ufa engagement.
"The deadliest terror strike in Punjab in more than 13 years since the end of the Khalistan movement for a separate Sikh nation not only cast a shadow on scheduled counter-terrorism talks, but also resumption of Indo-Pakistan cricket ties," Hindustan Times added.
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