Army personnel killed in LoC firing by Pakistan
Jammu: An Army personnel was killed Sunday in firing by Pakistani troops along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district, officials said.
They said the cross-border firing started in Shahpur and Kerni areas of Poonch around 5.30 pm Saturday and it continued intermittently through the night.
The Indian Army retaliated strongly but the casualties suffered by Pakistan were not known immediately, the officials said, adding Pakistani troops used mortar and small arms to target forward posts and villages.
The soldier was critically injured around 4 am in the firing and was immediately evacuated to the military hospital, the officials said.
They said he succumbed to injuries, taking the number of Army personnel killed in the last four days to two.
On Thursday, 24-year-old rifleman Yash Paul lost his life in unprovoked firing by Pakistan Army along the LoC in Sunderbani sector of Rajouri district.
The border skirmishes witnessed a spurt after India's air strike on a Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terror camp in Pakistan's Balakot on February 26 in response to the February 14 Pulwama attack that killed 40 CRPF personnel.
Four civilians, including three members of a family, have been killed and several injured as Pakistan, since then, has targeted dozens of villages in over 125 incidents of ceasefire violations along the LoC.
The year 2018 witnessed the highest number of ceasefire violations -- 2,936 -- by Pakistani troops in the last 15 years along the Indo-Pak border.
Pakistan continues to violate the 2003 ceasefire agreement with India despite repeated calls for restraint and adherence to the pact during flag meetings between the two sides.
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Whoever wins heart of Gandhi family in Congress will become CM: Basavaraj Bommai
Gadag: In Congress, whoever wins the hearts of Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and Priyanka Gandhi will become the Chief Minister. This is a shame for the democratic system, said former Chief Minister and MP Basavaraj Bommai.
Speaking to the media in Gadag, he said there is a clash among leaders due to excessive desire for power. Cabinet ministers are trying to retain their positions. Some leaders are demanding ministerial posts saying they have won elections multiple times, while newcomers are also seeking ministerial positions. He added that the Chief Minister is trying to retain his position.
Bommai said Mallikarjun Kharge is a senior leader and feels he should have been given the Chief Minister post fairly.
He further said that Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar function as the high command, referring to Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi, and added that Congress is a family-based party. He reiterated that whoever wins the support of Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, and Priyanka Gandhi becomes the Chief Minister, calling it a shame for the democratic system and alleging that the party has weakened internal democracy.
Responding to a question about allegations that officials in the government are not working, he said, “The people who made them are angry. The Congress has cheated the people who elected them. The government is completely at a standstill. No work has been done. About Rs 14,000 crores provided in Siddaramaiah's last budget have not been used. About Rs 10,000 crores were not used in the year before that either. How will the officials work if there is political conflict? If the CM says one thing and the DCM says another, this government has completely come to a standstill in the eyes of the people.”
