Fresh firing on LoC near Nowgam

 In yet another ceasefire violation, Pakistani troops on Friday opened fire on Indian posts along the Line of Control (LoC) in the Nowgam sector of north Kashmir’s
Kupwara district.

Sources told Deccan Herald that Pakistani troops resorted to indiscriminate and unprovoked firing with medium and light weapons on some forward pickets.

“Indian troops retaliated and intermittent firing went on till Saturday morning. However, since Saturday morning, the exchange has stopped,” they said. No casualty was reported in the Indian side. It was not immediately clear if the Pakistani troops suffered any casualty, they added.

A senior official said the Army was conducting searches in the area to weed out infiltrators, if any. “The Pakistani troops fired at the forward Indian posts with an aim to create confusion and push infiltrators from other areas. This has become a routine in the last one year. Keeping in view this aspect, troops have been put on high alert,” he added.

Sources said the Indian troops have fortified their positions along the LoC and the international border (IB). Additional troops have also been deployed. “The purpose behind increasing the deployment was to further strengthen the counter-infiltration grid as the agencies across the LoC and the IB have been trying their best to push militants into Jammu and Kashmir,” said a senior Army officer.

He added that the “agencies” across the border, including handlers of militants, are peeved at the dwindling size and strength of the ultras in Jammu and Kashmir.