Waiting for right time to retaliate against soldier’s killing: BSF chief

NEW DELHI: Outgoing Border Security Force (BSF) chief KK Sharma Friday said the force was “waiting for the right time” to retaliate against the recent killing of jawans along the International Border (IB) in Jammu and Kashmir.

Sharma also said that the BSF was witnessing a “more aggressive stance” from Pakistan after Imran Khan became the prime minister.

“We have taken sufficient action across the LOC to avenge the death of our soldier. We also reserve our right to retaliate at an appropriate time and place of our choosing,” said Sharma, who retires on September 30.

Speaking to reporters at the BSF headquarters, the director general admitted that Head Constable Narender Singh was killed in an “action of the Border Action Team” of Pakistan. Singh was shot three times on his chest, dragged to the other side of the fence, his feet were tied and throat slit, Sharma said.

“There was no mutilation of the body.”

“This incident is a first of its kind because generally on the International Border you don’t have a BAT action. This was a BAT action...it is an unfortunate incident,” he said.

He said following the incident, the Pakistani side got their villages vacated “thinking we will hit them”.

“So, even if we had retaliated, it would not have been of any use at that time,” he said.