India lodges strong protest after rockets fired from Pak

Amritsar, Sep 12 (PTI) India Saturday lodged a strong
protest with Pakistan over the firing of three rockets from
across the border that exploded two kilometres inside India's
northern state of Punjab.

The issue was raised at a flag meeting between the Border
Security Force (BSF) and Pakistani Rangers in the wee hours
after the missiles landed in open fields in Modhey and Dhoneya
Khurd villages in Attari sector on the Indo-Pak border,
prompting retaliatory gunfire from the Indian border troops.

There was no damage or casualty on the Indian side due to
the Pakistani action Friday night, BSF Inspector General
Himmat Singh said.

"We held a flag meeting at about 1 am and made a very
strong protest to them (Pakistani Rangers) about this
incident," he told reporters here.

"Yesterday night, at about 10 pm, the BSF troops posted
at Pulkanjini border outpost saw flashlights and firing from
Pakistan territory and after a very short gap, they heard
explosions," Singh said.

"Our troops on the border retaliated immediately, very
strongly...after that no incident of fire from Pakistani side
was reported," he said.

"Three rockets were fired from Pakistani side. There was
no damage but it raises suspicion about developments on the
other side of the border," a BSF official said.

During the meeting, the Rangers "feigned ignorance (about
the incident) but said they will look into it," he said.

New Delhi suspects that the border incidents were mainly
aimed at diverting attention of the Indian forces to push in
infiltrators. PTI