Amritsar: Border Security Force (BSF) personnel on Sunday found another rocket shell in the fields near a village in Amritsar district of Punjab, raising the number of rockets fired from Pakistan into India in the last 40 hours to five, officials said.
"During our search operation, our officials have found another rocket today (on Sunday). It exploded in the open space around a km from the houses of Pul Kanjari village here. It must have been fired yesterday (Saturday) and gone undetected by us," BSF Inspector General (Punjab Frontier) Himmat Singh said on Sunday.
"Now the number of rockets that were fired from Pakistan towards Indian villages has reached five. We had lodged a formal protest with Pakistan Rangers yesterday (Saturday) and we are still waiting for any reply from their side," he added.
Earlier three rockets, which were fired in quick succession from Pakistan, exploded near a village in this district late on Friday night. The attack triggered retaliatory gunfire by BSF officials.
Later, on Saturday evening, a fourth rocket, which had not unexploded, was found in the fields of Pul Kanjari village.
However, Pakistani authorities on Saturday denied any rockets were fired from their territory.
Following the attacks, there was tension in the border villages. Local villagers on Saturday also staged a protest against the shelling and demanded that Indian authorities take strict action.
In a similar incident in July, four rockets were fired from Pakistani territory towards border villages in India.
India has erected an electrified barbed wire fence on its side of the 553-km India-Pakistan border in Punjab.
Meanwhile reports say that India, Pakistan may resume backdoor channel diplomacy.
India and Pakistan are likely to start their stalled composite dialogue through backdoor channel diplomacy to resolve outstanding issues, according to a report on Sunday.
The government is considering to assign responsibilities of backdoor diplomacy to former foreign secretary Riaz Mohammad Khan, the Online news agency reported citing reliable sources in the Pakistani foreign ministry.
According to the sources, while Khan's name for this task has not been made final, he is considered the best diplomat to handle issues related to India after the death of former foreign secretary Niaz A Naik, the report said.
Later, on Saturday evening, a fourth rocket, which had not unexploded, was found in the fields of Pul Kanjari village.
However, Pakistani authorities on Saturday denied any rockets were fired from their territory.
Following the attacks, there was tension in the border villages. Local villagers on Saturday also staged a protest against the shelling and demanded that Indian authorities take strict action.
In a similar incident in July, four rockets were fired from Pakistani territory towards border villages in India.
India has erected an electrified barbed wire fence on its side of the 553-km India-Pakistan border in Punjab.
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