Pakistani troops resorted to 'shooting' of a different kind as numerous cameras clicked when Defence Minister A K Antony stepped on to the Aman Setu bridge across the Line of Control at Kaman Past in Jammu and Kashmir.
Antony, on his first visit to forward posts in the Uri sector, walked almost half-way across the bridge -- used by people travelling along the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad road -- along with army chief Gen J J Singh.
As Antony talked to army officers and journalists accompanying him, several camera flashes went off on the Pakistani side.
There was a flurry of activity on the Pakistani side when an advance party accompanying the defence minister reached the bridge, which was damaged in the 2005 earthquake in Kashmir.
Pakistani troops were seen, cameras and binoculars in hand, checking the movements on the Indian side.
Antony was briefed by Singh about the repairs to the bridge that will be undertaken by the army in the next few weeks.
A flag meeting of commanders of both sides was held ahead of Antony's visit, during which Indian officers briefed their Pakistani counterparts about his trip to forward areas.
The Indian Army proposed an exchange of sweets during the visit, but this was turned down by the Pakistanis without assigning any reasons.
While travelling to Kaman Post, Antony had to get out of his vehicle and trek a short distance as a part of the road was blocked this morning by a sudden landslide caused by heavy rains.
Before a ceasefire came into effect along the LoC and international border in Jammu and Kashmir in late 2003, Pakistani troops often resorted to firing whenever senior Indian leaders or army officers visited forward posts.
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