Jammu: Pakistan violated ceasefire and opened unprovoked firing against Indian posts on Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch district of Jammu & Kashmir on Friday.
A senior army officer said that the Pakistani troops fired 81-mm mortar shells and directed automatic and small-arms fire at Indian posts along the LoC in the Mendhar-Bhimber Gali-Keri forward areas of Poonch district at around 07:30 today.No casualty or damage has been reported on this side of the LoC due to the firing.
He also said that Indian troops guarding the border effectively replied with similar calibre weapons and “exchanges occurred in three forward areas”.
A news agency quoted a civil administration official as saying, “Ambulances and medical supplies have been rushed to the affected area to meet any emergency situation.”
A Pakistani military official claimed in Islamabad that two civilians were injured in mortar shells fired from across the LoC.
The official claimed, “Indian Army resorted to unprovoked firing injuring two civilians. Pakistan troops responded to Indian firing effectively.
Meanwhile, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, on microblogging website Twitter, tweeted that some shells landed in civilian areas.
He further wondered if the ceasefire violation a day ahead of Defence Minister Arun Jaitley’s visit to the state is ‘just a coincidence’.
Notify that an Army soldier was killed and five others, including an officer, were injured in two improvised explosive device (IED) blasts on the LoC in Poonch district on Thursday.
The injured officer has been identified only as Major Bhatia while the injured sepoy is Khushandar Singh of 7 Sikh regiment.
Earlier, one sepoy was killed and three others troopers including a lance naik and two sepoys were injured in another IED explosion in the same sector of the LoC in Poonch district that occurred at 8:30 am.
19 incidents of ceasefire violation were reported along the LoC between end of April and mid-May.
Bureau Report
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