ISLAMABAD, May 19: The nation must stand together to thwart Indian aggression launched on the military, diplomatic and media fronts, said Information Minister Nisar Memon here on Sunday.

Referring to the increasing Indian shelling along the Line of Control and the Working Boundary, the minister said that President Pervez Musharraf, in his capacity as Chief of the Army Staff, was personally supervising the defensive launched by the armed forces of Pakistan on Indian military targets.

Talking to reporters, he said that unprovoked Indian shelling continued on the Working Boundary as well as the LoC during the last 24 hours as a result of which seven civilians were killed and 50 injured. The minister said that about 20 villages along the border had been affected and evacuation had started.

Pakistan, the minister pointed out, had retaliated but only against the military targets unlike the Indians who were hitting the civilian targets.

He said the two armies were face-to-face along the LoC, stretching from Iftikharabad to Khel, and on the Working Boundary from Shakargarh to Marala.

Mr Memon said that all sections of society should forget their differences as this is the time for national unity and cohesion. “The whole world knows that the people of Pakistan, the innocent civilians, are under attack. And this is no time for politicking and this is the time to show statesmanship.”

He said all the people who might have political differences with the government must not do anything to harm the national unity and national security at this hour. Referring to political consultations, the minister said that the president had always consulted people from all walks of life, particularly politicians, on all matters of national importance.

He said this is the time to focus on the boundaries of Pakistan and added that politicking would be there when the elections took place. All parties and people would be allowed to participate in the elections subject to the Election Commission rules and the court judgments, he added.