Pakistan planted landmines on Indian soil, Indian Army says

New Delhi: To prove that an infiltration had been undertaken by the Pakistan army into Indian soil earlier this month, the Indian Army on Wednesday released photographs of landmines allegedly planted by Pakistani troops.

In a statement, the Army said that it had shared these photographs with Pakistan at the recently held brigadier-level flag meeting at Chakan-Da Bagh in the Poonch Sector, where the two sides discussed the repeated ceasefire violations. Pakistan has denied all charges of initiating the aggression.

According to various media reports, the photographs of the landmine devices have clear markings that show they were manufactured in ordnance factories in Pakistan. The mines were reportedly recovered in an area dominated by Indian troops.

Defence ministry sources were quoted by a television channel as saying that Pakistan had refused to accept the file with the photographs and returned it to the Indian officials.

At the meeting, India lodged a strong protest against the repeated ceasefire violations by Pakistan along the line of control (LoC) and also expressed concern at the barbaric way Pakistani troops treated the bodies of the two Indian soldiers who were killed last week. However, the Pakistani side, the Army said, denied all charges and was "adamant and arrogant" in its attitude. New Delhi has expressed unhappiness over the outcome of the meeting.

India says there have been five ceasefire violations by Pakistani troops since the flag meeting. Two rounds of firing were reported near the Line of Control (LoC) within an hour last evening. The Army said Indian troops did not retaliate.

The Pakistan Army however alleged this morning that Indian troops violated the ceasefire on the LoC on Tuesday and "carried out unprovoked firing" in Hotspring and Jandrot sectors killing one of its soldiers at Kundi post.

Pakistan's director general of military operations talked to his Indian counterpart this morning and lodged a protested about the alleged incident.

India has denied Pakistan's allegation. "If a Pakistani soldier has been killed, it may have been in retaliatory firing. We have not crossed the line of control," Army chief General Bikram Singh said this morning as he visited the family of one of the two jawans who were killed by Pakistani troops.

"We have never violated human rights, but when they fire, we also fire," he added.