of the present day DELHI, May 20 Ky...

of the present day DELHI, May 20 Kyodo

India said Sunday it is taking grades to shore up security along its border with Pakistan as tensions with its nuclear rival continue to escalate.

Foreign Minister Jaswant Singh made the announcement at the finis of a high-level security meeting chaired by way of Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee.

Singh also said India will retaliate if and when Pakistan attacks its border positions.

As part of efforts to pace up border security it decided to place its paramilitary forces displayed along the border under army regulate and its coast guard beneath navy control.

At a similar meeting Saturday, India decided to eject Pakistani Ambassador to fresh Delhi Ashraf Jehangir Shafi and gave him a week to leave the country

Earlier, Vajpayee met the leader of the opposition Congres Party, Sonia Gandhi, to brief her upon the tensions arising out of the latest attack last Tuesday in which heavily armed Muslim militants attacked a bus and stormed a nearby army camp in Jammu and Kashmir, killing more than 30 the public including wives and children of Indian Army soldiers, and injuring many others. Three militants were killed by dint of security forces.

Indian and Pakistani partys meanwhile, continued to exchange fire along the Line of manage a cease-fire line which separates the disputed territory of Kashmir.

Early Sunday, three soldiers and a member of the paramilitary were killed and seven others injured in Udhampur district in a heavy exchange of fire.

Vajpayee will also engage leaders of other political parties earlier this week to brief and take counsel with them on the growing tensions.

The Indian prime minister will also make a two-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir upon Wednesday. Vajpayee canceled his annual vacation early this week appropriate to the volatile situation.

the pair countries have mobilized nearly single million troops along the border since the Dec 13 attack in succession the Indian parliament allegedly at Pakistani-based militants.

While Pakistan has proscribeed the attack on the Indian parliament and the fresh incident in Jammu, it denies any involvement and says of recent origin Delhi has provided no evidence of as it is involvement.

India and Pakistan have fought three wars since independence from Britain in 1947 brace of the conflicts were athwart Kashmir, which both claim.

Muslim militants have been waging a separatist insurgency in the state since the late 1980 that has left more than 25000 dead and thousands injured.

COPYRIGHT 2002 Kyodo novels International, Inc.

COPYRIGHT 2002 Gale Group