India To Pakistan: Border Trouble Will Bring 'unaffordable Costs'

[xxxmen]

India strongly warned Pakistan that it would have to suffer "unaffordable costs" for its "adventurism" amid heavy-duty mortars from both countries continuing to boom across the International Border (IB), attracting an aggressive response from Pakistan which invoked its nuclear arsenal and called a meeting of its national security council to review its options. 

Although the Line of Control (LoC) remained relatively quiet for the second day running on Thursday, there was a step-up in the cross-border mortar duels. Pakistan, in a departure from the practice of firing mainly during the nights, began launching shells at villages in Arnia and RS Pura sectors along the IB right since the morning on Thursday, injuring five civilians and three BSF jawans. The BSF, on its part, let loose over 1,000 mortar shells into Pakistan. 

Defence minister Arun Jaitley, underlining the Modi government's hard-line approach, accused Pakistan of "clearly being the aggressor" with its series of "unprovoked" ceasefire violations. "But it must realise our deterrence will be credible. If Pakistan persists with this adventurism, our forces will make the cost of this adventurism unaffordable," he said.

Campaigning in faraway Baramati in Maharashtra, PM Narendra Modi also asserted that cross-border hostility would continue to be met with "courage" from the Indian armed forces. "Today, when bullets are being fired on the border, it is the enemy that is screaming. Our jawans have responded to the aggression with courage. The enemy has realised that times have changed and their old habits will not be tolerated... People know my intentions and I need not express those in words. When the jawans have to speak, they speak with their fingers on the trigger... and they will continue to speak that way," Modi said. 

[bokadia]