With continuous ceasefire violations on the Line of Control (LoC) in Kashmir the Border Security Force (BSF) in Punjab will not exchange any festival greetings with its Pakistani counterparts, the Rangers, on Eid-al-Fitr. However, while those occasions were marked in the past year, candies weren’t exchange on Eid-ul-Zuha in October 2014, because of similar hostilities over cross-LoC firing. However, the tradition was not followed by the security forces agan.
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Pakistan’s armed forces flouted truce along the LoC as well as the undisputed stretch of the border six times since July 15 – leaving one dead and 16 injured in border villages of India. There have been multiple casualties due to the firing.
Farooqui stated the trade of candies is set at a gathering of officers of each border guards. “Ironic they violate and also accuse”, he said. “We always want to maintain “peace and tranquility” on the border”, the report quoted BSF Deputy Inspector General MF Farooqui as saying. The Pakistan army resorted to unprovoked firing at Naushera Sector of Rajouri district of J&K at 9:25 pm on Friday.
There were at least five such ceasefire violations by Pakistan Rangers and army before Modi and Sharif met on the sideline of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s summit at Ufa.
In Rajasthan, which also shares border with Pakistan, the BSF did not offered candies to Pakistani Rangers along the global border.
In Delhi, Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit didn’t refer to the tensions or the candies exchange, but said political will was required to improve ties.
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Confirming the development, BSF said that last evening BSF officials during the flag meeting with Pakistani Rangers asked them with regard to sweet exchange for today, but there was no reply from Pakistan.
