Jammu: Indian and Pakistani border guards continued to exchange heavy fire overnight on the international border in Jammu and Kasmir’s Samba district.
“Heavy firing exchanges continued between the BSF and Pakistan Rangers in Ramgarh, Hiranagar and Samba sectors of the international border till early morning,” a senior police officer told IANS here Saturday.
“Pakistan Rangers had started unprovoked firing at four BSF border posts in Ramgarh sector around 9.30 p.m. yesterday.”
“BSF retaliated effectively and firing exchanges between the two sides continued till 3 a.m. today in Ramgarh, Hiranagar and Samba sectors.”
Six civilians injured in Pakistani shelling in Kashmir
Jammu: Six civilians were injured Saturday due to Pakistani shelling on the international border in Jammu and Kashmir’s Samba and Kathua districts, forcing scores of villagers to migrate.
“Six civilians were injured in Pakistani shelling on the international border in Samba and Kathua districts today.”
“Two civilians with critical injuries have been shifted to Government Medical College Hospital in Jammu for treatment. Senior civil and paramilitary officials have rushed to take stock of the situation,” a senior police officer told IANS here.
Reports from the border villages of Manyari, Paansar, Bobia, Londi, Sadechak, Chailari, Chachwal, Mangu Chak, Regaal, Mawa, Sadho and Chak Fakira in Samba and Kathua districts said dozens of families had started migrating to safer places because of renewed Pakistan shelling on the international border.
Police said Pakistan Rangers had resorted to unprovoked firing at BSF outposts around 9.30 p.m. Friday.
The BSF retaliated effectively and firing exchanges between the two sides continued till 3 a.m. Saturday.
BJP seeks secular parties’ support on anti-conversion bill
Bengaluru: Asserting that his party was against conversions and re-conversions, BJP president Amit Shah has sought the support of the “secular parties” on bringing an anti-conversion bill.
“We are against forceful conversions and re-conversions. Neither our party nor the NDA government is involved in the ‘ghar wapsi’ (return home) programme. We seek support of the so-called secular parties for a strong legislation against conversions,” Shah told reporters here.
Regretting that no secular party had come forward to introduce the anti-conversion bill, he said the Bharatiya Janata Party was in favour of such a law to check conversions.
“There is a need for a strong anti-conversion law to prevent conversions by anyone, be they Christians, Muslims or Hindus,” Shah said while appealing to all parties to support the government in enacting a law against conversions.
Noting that the BJP had nothing to do with the ‘ghar wapsi’ programme of some Hindu right-wing groups, Shah said his party did not believe in such conversions.
The Dharma Jagran Samiti was allegedly behind the forceful conversions of about 250 Muslim families to Hinduism in Uttar Pradesh in November.
Later, BJP sources told IANS that the Dharma Jagran Samiti had been told to refrain from such conversions on advice from the Narendra Modi government this week.
