The daring action is seen as avenging the killing of four Indian Army personnel including a Major by a Border Action Team of the Pakistan Army in Keri sector of Rajouri on Saturday.
A group of five army commandos crossed the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir and killed three Pakistani soldiers, in a swift and daring operation on Monday evening.
The "tactical strike" in Rukh Chakri sector in Rawlakot, which brought back memories of last year's 'surgical strikes', is seen as avenging the killing of four Indian Army personnel including a Major by a Border Action Team of the Pakistan Army in Keri sector of Rajouri on Saturday.
Army sources said a "small group" of five 'Ghatak' (deadly) commandos carried out the operation 200-300 metres inside the Pakistan occupied territory from the LoC in which three Pakistani soldiers were killed and another injured.
The operation took place hours after Indian death row prisoner Kulbhushan Jadhav met his wife and mother in Islamabad.
The Pakistan Army has confirmed the death of the three soldiers but asserted that they died in unprovoked firing and that Indian soldiers had not crossed the LoC.
Sources said Pakistan raised the issue of the strike by the Indian soldiers during the weekly talks between the two armies over the hotline.
A brigadier from the Indian Army and a colonel-rank officer from Pakistan talked about the situation along the LoC during the telephonic conversation.
The sources said Monday's operation cannot be compared to last year's surgical strikes as it was a small team of commandos carried out the attack with a "limited aim" following orders from the local commander of the army unit.
They said the operation began around 6 pm and the team returned to their camp within 45 minutes and that none of the commandos sustained any injury.
A temporary post of the Pakistan army was smashed in the strike. The post was under extensive surveillance much before the operation was carried out, the sources said.
On Saturday, the Border Action Team of the Pakistan Army had killed four Indian Army personnel including a Major in Rajouri.
The sources said Pakistani soldiers killed in the operation were from Pakistan Army's 59 Baloch regiment.
There were reports that the number of casualty on the Pakistani side was four but army sources maintained that they have confirmation about three deaths.
The Indian Army had carried out "surgical strikes" in September last year, targeting alleged terror launch pads on the Pakistani side.
The Indian Army has been adopting a "tough" approach in dealing with ceasefire violations and terrorist activities in the last one year.
According to official figure, a total of 820 incidents of ceasefire violation by Pakistani troops were reported in the current year till today as against 221 last year.
A total of 61 army personnel including three Garud commandos were killed in action in Jammu and Kashmir this year while the army killed 210 terrorists in the same period.
Out of the total terrorists killed, 62 were killed along the Line of Control and 148 in the hinterland in the state of Jammu and Kashmir.
Pakistan has summoned India's acting deputy high commissioner to protest "unprovoked" firing by the Indian Army that killed its three soldiers and "categorically rejected" claims that Indian commandos crossed the LoC to carry out a daring operation.
In a statement, the foreign office said the Indian actions "got a befitting response from the Pakistani side and their guns were silenced."
It categorically rejected India's claims that the Indian Army commandos crossed the Line of Control in Poonch sector of Jammu and Kashmir and smashed a Pakistani post.
"The false claims by India about the alleged cross LoC adventures are a figment of their imagination and counter-productive for peace and tranquillity on the LoC," it said.
The statement said Director General (South Asia & SAARC) Mohammad Faisal summoned India's acting deputy high commissioner and "condemned the unprovoked ceasefire violations" by Indian forces in the Rakhchikri sector.
The firing "provided a cover for the planting of IEDs by non-state actors", resulting in the death of three soldiers, it said.
Faisal urged the Indian side to "respect the 2003 Ceasefire arrangement; investigate this and other incidents of ceasefire violations; instruct the Indian forces to respect the ceasefire, in letter and spirit and maintain peace on the LoC."
-- Sajjad Hussain/PTI
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