Army chief briefs prime minister on LoC situation

Against the backdrop of ceasefire violations along the Line of Control, Army Chief Gen Bikram Singh on Monday briefed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the situation there and the retaliatory operations being carried out by the Indian troops.

The Army Chief held an "unscheduled" 40-minute meeting with the prime minister at his 7, Race Course Road residence and briefed him about the ongoing ceasefire violations on the Line of Control, sources said.

The meeting comes soon after Defence Minister A K Antony made a statement in the Rajya Sabha in which he said the number of ceasefire violations by Pakistan has been rising and after the killing of five Indian soldiers on August 6.

He said 24 such violations have taken place since August six.

The defence minister said the army has mobilised troops and they are retaliating effectively and strongly.

The Army chief has been holding meetings with his top officers including his three-star Principal Staff Officers including the DGMO and the DGMI to chalk out the response of the Army in view of the situation on the LoC.

During his visit to the field formations along the LoC, the chief had pulled up his commanders there for the failure to check the killing of five Indian soldiers earlier this month and the beheading of own troops in January.

The force is also preparing itself for tackling the possibility of increased attacks by the Pakistan Border Action Teams on the LoC.