*Army jawan martyred on LoC in Poonch
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, July 24: A 27-year-old Army jawan was martyred in a mine blast along the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch district, today.
Sepoy Kamal Dev Vaidya was on operational duty in Krishna Ghati sector of Poonch on Friday. He accidentally stepped on a mine and it exploded injuring him critically, a defence spokesman said.
The soldier was evacuated to the nearest medical facility but he succumbed to injuries there.
Sepoy Vaidya hailed from Ghumarwin village in Himachal Pradesh’s Hamirpur district. He is survived by mother Vanita Devi, the spokesman said.
“Sepoy Kamal Dev Vaidya was a brave, highly motivated and sincere soldier. The nation will always remain indebted to him for the supreme sacrifice and devotion to duty,” he said.
Meanwhile, India today lodged a strong protest over drone activities by Pakistan in the Jammu area during a Sector Commander-level meeting between the Border Security Force and the Pakistan Rangers. Click here to watch video
“It was the first Sector Commander-level meeting between the two border guarding forces after the declaration of ceasefire agreement by DGMOs (in February),” a BSF spokesperson said.
The meeting was held at the request of Pakistan Rangers at the International Border (IB) in the Suchetgarh area and it was decided to re-energise instant communication between field commanders, whenever required, to resolve operational matters, the spokesperson said.
Commanders of both the border guarding forces discussed various issues with the main emphasis by the BSF delegation on Pakistani drone activities, terrorist activities and digging of tunnels from across the border and other issues related to border management, he said.
A very strong protest was lodged by BSF delegates regarding drone activities by Pakistan authorities in the Jammu area, the officials said.
At the same time, both sides expressed their commitment to maintaining peace and harmony at the IB, they said.
“The meeting was held in a cordial, positive and constructive atmosphere and both sides agreed on an expeditious implementation of the decisions taken in the earlier DG-level talks and committed to each other to maintain peace and harmony at the IB,” the spokesperson said.
The BSF delegation was led by DIG Surjit Singh and the Pakistan Rangers delegation was headed by Brigadier Murad Hussain, Sector Commander of Sialkot.
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