Pak violates ceasefire; shells villages along LoC in Poonch

The Pakistan army today targeted villages and forward posts along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district by resorting to heavy mortar shelling and firing automatic weapons in yet another ceasefire violation.

According to a police officer, the areas of Khadi Karmara and Diwgar were targeted.

The Pakistan army resorted to indiscriminate firing from small arms, automatic weapons and mortar bombs from 1755 hours today on villages and Indian Army posts along the LoC in Poonch district, the police officer said.

However, there has been no loss of life or injury to anyone in the firing till now, he said.

Yesterday also Pakistani forces had violated ceasefire after which Indian troops had retaliated damaging three posts and causing causalities to Pakistani army, according to reports.

Two Pakistani soldiers were learnt to have been killed in the retaliation and several injured, the reports said.

Earlier, an Army jawan and his wife were killed and four persons injured when the Pakistani army violated ceasefire yesterday by shelling and firing at forward posts and hamlets along the LOC in Poonch.

The deceased were identified as Sepoy Mohmmad Shaukat of Territorial Army and his wife Safia Bi. Their three daughters identified as Zaida Kouser (6), Robina Kouser (12) and Nazia Bi were injured as was another person.

Following the ceasefire violation, Indian troops had retaliated.

There have been 23 incidents of ceasefire violation, one BAT attack and two infiltration bids by Pakistan in June this year in which 4 people including 3 jawans were killed and 12 injured, officials said.

On June 29, two Indian Army jawans were injured when Pakistani troops fired from small arms and shelled mortars on forward posts and civilian areas along the LoC in Poonch.

On June 26, the occasion of Eid-ul Fitr, the Pakistani  army fired small arms and automatic weapons and shelled mortars along the LoC in Bhimbher Gali sector of Rajouri.

On June 22, in the third such attack this year, a team of Pakistani special forces sneaked 600 metres across the LoC into the Poonch sector and killed two Indian jawans and lost one Border Action Team (BAT) member in retaliatory action.

The attack by the Pakistani special forces team had taken place at around 2 PM on an Army patrol party in the Gulpur belt of Poonch under heavy cover fire by troops from across the LoC.

In the attack, two Indian soldiers - 34-year-old Naik Jadhav Sandip of Aurangabad and 24-year-old Sepoy Mane Savan Balku of Kolhapur - were martyred.