Cross-LoC buses stopped as firing persists

Indian and Pakistani troops exchanged fire along the Line of Control in Jammu & Kashmir’s Poonch district for the second consecutive day on Monday.

The heavy motor firing from across the border prompted authorities to stop cross-LoC bus service and shutdown schools along the LoC as a precautionary measure, an official said.
“The exchange of fire and shelling started at 6:30 am on Monday,” the official said, adding that the intermittent firing continued throughout the day.

No reports of any casualty or damage on the Indian side.

 The official said several motor shells hit the Trade Felicitation Centre Chakan da Bagh in Poonch, prompting officials to evacuate officials on duty to safer locations.

Firing between the two sides escalated last year, with 300 ceasefire violations reported after the Indian Army carried out the surgical strike on September 29.

Twenty-nine people, including 12 civilians and 17 security personnel, were killed in these incidents, while nearly 100 people, mostly civilians, were injured. India and Pakistan share  198 kilometres of International Border and over 510 kilometre of Line of Control in Jammu & Kashmir.