Sharif unhappy about Pak’s murderous LoC incursion

Pakistan's prime minister Nawaz Sharif today made strong placatory noises towards India in the wake of the killing of five Indian soldiers along the Line of Control (LoC) in the Poonch area of Jammu & Kashmir.

During a briefing by the ministry of foreign affairs in Islamabad, Sharif expressed disappointment over the recent incidents on the LoC, according to a report in a leading Pakistan daily.

Sharif said it was imperative for both India and Pakistan to take effective steps to ensure and restore ceasefire on the LoC. He also emphasised that military-to-military channels could be more optimally used to prevent misunderstanding and not allowing such situations to escalate.

He said Pakistan is prepared to discuss steps with India for further strengthening of existing mechanisms both at the political and military levels.

Sharif said he was looking forward to his meeting with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Indian Army orders probe into Pak killing of soldiers

Meanwhile, the Indian Army is expected to order a court of inquiry on whether tactical lapses allowed the ''ambush'' and killing of five Indian jawans within the Indian side of the Line of Control with Pakistan.

The statement of a sixth soldier, Sambhaji Kute – the sole survivor of the encounter - is expected to be critical to the investigation.

Havildar (sergeant) Kute is from Maharashtra. He is being treated in a hospital in Poonch town.

At 2 am on Tuesday, an area domination patrol team of six Indian jawans was ambushed by what are thought to be heavily armed terrorists backed by the Paksitan army. Four jawans of the 21 Bihar regiment and one from the 14 Maratha Light Infantry regiment were killed, with Kute of the Maharashtra regiment the sole survivor.

While a court of inquiry is mandatory in such an incident, questions have been raised over why six members were patrolling the area in the team when standard practice is to go out on in a party of at least ten, which is called a section.

The most vulnerable period on the LoC is during the changeover of units, experts say. This is when the old unit, familiar with the territory, is in transfer mode, while the new one is yet to familiarise itself with the territory.

Attacks have happened in such periods before. In 2010 two Indian soldiers were beheaded in the Uri sector during a changeover.

Indian troops are also reported to use similar tactics.