Pak violates ceasefire again

Pakistani troops on Monday violated the ceasefire for the fifth time in the last three days by targeting forward Indian posts along the LoC in Poonch district with mortar shells, rockets and small arms firing. The Indian troops, guarding the borderline, took positions and retaliated resulting in heavy exchanges.

“Pakistan troops opened heavy firing with small arms, mortar shells and rockets on Indian forward posts along LoC in Poonch and Durga Battalion areas around 0150 hours”, Defence Spokesman S.N. Acharya said on Monday.

“It was yet another ceasefire violation by Pakistan”, the Spokesman said, adding the firing took place from 0150 hours till 0600 hours. There was no loss of life or injury to anyone in the Pakistani firing, Mr. Acharya said. Pakistani troops fired at 11 posts in Digwar, Mankote and Durga Battalion areas along the LoC in Poonch.

This is fifth ceasefire violation by Pakistan troops in the past three days. Pakistani troops had fired at Durga Battalion area with small arms firing and mortars along LoC in Poonch around 2150 hours on Sunday night. The firing continued for three hours and Army troops from this side retaliated, he said.

Armed forces free to respond

Defence Minister A.K. Antony said in Kochi on Monday that the armed forces are free to appropriately respond to the developing situation at the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir, “The armed forces have freedom to respond to the developing situation there appropriately,” Mr. Antony told reporters after the launch of India’s first indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant.

Aggression

Pakistan troops had also opened small arms firing at Indian posts in Balakote-Mendhar forward belt of Poonch district around 1130 hours on Sunday, Army officials had said, adding that Indian troops fired back resulting in exchanges for four hours. There was no loss of life or damage to property in the firing.

A BSF jawan was injured in Pakistani firing at a forward Posts along the Indo-Pakistan border at around 0830 hrs on Sunday. “There was sniper firing from Pakistani side along the international border (IB) on three posts including Alfa Machial Border Out Post (BOP) area in Kanachak belt of Jammu district” a senior BSF officer had said.

In the firing, BSF Jawan Pawan Kumar received bullet injuries in his chest and legs. The jawan has been paralysed as the bullet pierced his spinal cord, doctors at GMC hospital said, adding that he has been referred to the AIIMS in the national capital.

On Saturday last, Pakistani troops had targeted several Indian Posts by firing 7000 rounds of ammunition and mortar shells along LoC in Poonch district. Earlier, Head Constable BSF Ram Niwas Meena of 200th Battalion was injured in snipper firing on Narainpur BoP area in Samba district along IB on August 5. Meena succumbed to his injuries yesterday

On August six, a group of 20 heavily armed men led by Pakistani troops had entered 450 metres into the Indian territory in the Poonch sector and ambushed a patrol killing five Indian soldiers. There have been 57 ceasefire violations by Pakistani troops this year from January one to August 5, which is 80 per cent more than the corresponding period last year.