The road ahead will be long and winding and much resistance can be expected from the high-flying 'hawks' in our skies. But that should not deter the policymakers from planning a road map with the 'big picture' in mind, observes Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
11 BSF troops have so far been killed in cross-border firing incidents along the IBr in J&K this year.
Violating the ceasefire, Pakistani troops on Sunday fired on border out posts along the International Border in Jammu district.
Pakistani Rangers fired about 45-50 rounds from light weapons on BSF troops in Samba sector.
The talks for normalising trade had begun in November 2011.
After a brief lull, Pakistan on Saturday again violated the ceasefire by firing on forward posts along the Line of Control in the Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir, drawing retaliation from India.
At least nine people, including six Afghan security officials, were killed and 19 others injured on Friday when a suicide bomber blew himself up at a check post on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in the troubled Balochistan province.
Firing mortar shells and using automatic weapons, Pakistani troops targeted civilian areas and forward security posts along the International Border and Line of Control in Jammu, Kathua, Poonch and Rajouri districts of Jammu and Kashmir.
Singh, 26, who was undergoing treatment at the Government Medical College and Hospital in Jammu, died around 11.45 pm, police said.
Pakistan pacer Hasan Ali got trolled on social media after a video surfaced wherein the player can be seen indulging in bizarre antics at the Attari-Wagah border during the traditional flag-lowering ceremony.
The home minister said people must have faith in security forces who are foiling the evil designs of enemies.
An improvised explosive device was found from parking area of the Wagah border on Monday, a day after at least 61 people were killed following the flag-lowering ceremony at the main Indo-Pak land border crossing.
As Pakistan resorted to fresh firing from across the border, Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said if anyone dares to cast an evil eye on India, security forces will give a fitting response.
These fresh violations came after a gap of one month and four days along Indo-Pak border in Jammu and Kashmir.
Accusing the Pakistani Army and the Rangers of facilitating infiltration, Border Security Force chief Raman Srivastava said on Tuesday that the Indian Army and the BSF have been alerted along the border to foil attempts by a large number of militants waiting at different launching pads to cross over.
In the second instance of ceasefire violation within 24 hours, Pakistani troops resorted to small arms firing on a Border Out Post
Amid tension in the border following firing from the Pakistani side, a flag meeting was held on Friday between the border guarding forces of the two countries to review the situation. Officials of Border Security Force and Pakistan Rangers held the flag meeting at Nikwol border outpost in Jammu and Kashmir's Khour belt to discuss the firing incidents on Thursday night and on Friday morning.
The Indian government has sent Union ministers Harsimrat Kaur Badal and Hardeep Singh Puri to represent India at the event.
Amid a war of words between India and Pakistan over cross-border firing, Pakistan's Defence Minister has alleged that India wants to keep his country busy in a "low-intensity war".
Project Director Atif Majid said so far 86 per cent of the work on the corridor has been completed.
This is the first such incident in Jammu region when a drone carrying arms and explosives was shot down by the BSF, frustrating Pakistan's attempt to smuggle weapons into the Union Territory using the hexacopter.
Pakistan on Monday launched a massive military operation in Punjab province in the wake of the deadly Taliban suicide bombing in Lahore, conducting raids and making several arrests.
A villager was injured as Pakistani Army violated the ceasefire four times overnight by pounding civilian hamlets and posts with 120 mm and 82 mm mortar bombs along the International Border and the Line of Control and LoC in Jammu and Poonch districts, drawing retaliation from the Army and BSF.
Pakistan has made elaborate security arrangements on its territory during the routine evening Beating the Retreat ceremony, said a senior official of the country on Monday.
The family of the seven-year-old girl who had strayed into Pakistan and locals in her village have thanked border officials in both India and the neighbouring country for the safe return of the child. Pooja was handed over to the Border Security Force at Neelkanth outpost on Monday night. She returned home in new clothes, new footwear and with candies which Pakistan Rangers had given her.
At a two-day bi-annual meeting between the Pakistan Rangers and Border Security Force on issues related to border management, the two sides agreed that peace be maintained along the Line of Control and the international border in Jammu and Kashmir.
Security at sensitive installations, including places of worship, airports, government offices and international missions, has been beefed up.
The Pakistan Rangers will continue their daily parade as part of the flag-lowering and hoisting ceremonies at Wagah in the traditional "enthusiastic style" without any change, except the revival of the formal handshake between personnel of Pakistan and India
The four Pakistani prisoners, lodged in a Gujarat jail, will be repatriated from the Attari border on June 30, 2010 and handed over to Pakistan Rangers.
Pakistan army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa had said last month that a peaceful resolution of disputes, including Kashmir, would be possible through talks between the two countries.
India on Monday told Pakistan to probe the incident of firing of rockets on its soil from across the border as such incidents posed a threat to civilian lives and properties.
"We have already taken up the matter with Pakistan," External Affairs Ministry spokesman Navtej Sarna told reporters in New Delhi on the incident which amounted to violation of the three-year-old ceasefire.
India on Tuesday lodged a "strong protest" with Pakistan over detection of cross-border tunnel along the international border in Samba sector of Jammu and Kashmir.
India and Pakistan on Saturday traded accusations of violating ceasefire along the border area.
BSF officials at Gurdaspur told PTI that the unprovoked firing from Pakistan side started at about 11 pm on Sunday at Simbal post in Bamial sector and BSF Jawans retaliated. The firing lasted for 30 minutes.
Sidhu said that the corridor would promote peace and erase "enmity" between India and Pakistan and create infinite possibilities between them, including the resumption of cricket ties.
Pakistan troops targeted three Indian posts along the International Border in the Samba sector of Jammu and Kashmir violating ceasefire for the 15th time within 18 days.
On Sunday, a civilian was killed and two persons were injured in the Pakistani shelling along the IB in Kanachak belt of Jammu district, raising the death toll in the ceasefire violations since Thursday last to 12 and injuries to over 60.
After a brief lull, Pakistan on Saturday violated ceasefire twice along International Border and Line of Control in Poonch and Jammu district, drawing strong retaliation from India.
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