Ahir blames Pak for BSF man’s killing

Majid Jahangir

Tribune News Service

Humhama (Budgam), Oct 19

A day after the Jaish-e-Mohammed claimed responsibility for the killing of the Border Security Force (BSF) man on the International Border, Union Minister of State for Home blamed Pakistan for mutilating the body of BSF Head Constable Narendra Singh in the Ramgarh sector of Samba district last month.

“What the Pakistan government or the terror group say, we do not trust them. We have accused Pakistan (of killing the BSF man) and our allegation stands,” MoS for Home Hansraj Ahir told reporters after performing ‘shashtra puja’ at the BSF’s frontier headquarters at Humhama on the outskirts of Srinagar on Friday.

“We doubt the honesty of both Pakistan and Jaish,” Ahir said.

On Thursday, the Jaish had released on the social media the pictures of the service rifle, bulletproof jacket, mobile phone and magazines which belonged to BSF man Narender Singh. The BSF man had gone missing when the Pakistan Rangers fired at a patrol team which was sent to clear a thick undergrowth of elephant grass along the International Border. Hours later, his body was found with throat slit and his eyes had been gouged out.

The killing of the BSF man and the killing of three J&K policemen in south Kashmir was cited as one of the reasons by the Centre for calling off the meeting with Pakistan foreign minister in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

Ahir said the Centre’s effort was to minimise the casualties of the security forces along the border.

“The country will never forget the way you fight the infiltrators being sent from Pakistan. The government wants that you (BSF) should become stronger. There is the 15,000-km border and BSF men are fighting in all situations,” he said in his address to the BSF men. He also celebrated Dasehra with the BSF personnel.

“It is a tradition to worship weapons. We worship weapons but at the same time we are the worshipers of non-violence. Directions have been given not to fire from your side but if they fire one, you fire 10,” he said.