Solider, 9-year-old girl killed as Pak violates ceasefire along LoC in J&K

A soldier and a nine-year-old girl were killed while three persons were injured in Pakistan firing along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir on Monday.

Defence spokesman Col Rajesh Kalia said Pakistani troops resorted to heavy shelling and firing on forwarding areas and border hamlets in Rajouri district at around 7.30 am on Monday which was strongly and effectively retaliated by the Indian army. “In the exchange of fire, Naik Muddasar Ahmed was grievously injured when mortar shells landed on his bunker. He succumbed to his injuries while being evacuated,” he said.

37-year-old Ahmed belonged to Dacho village of Tral in south Kashmir and is survived by his wife and two children. Tral is the native area of slain Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani, who was killed by security forces last year in July.

In a separate ceasefire violation, a nine-year-old girl Saida was killed after a shell fired by Pakistani troops hit her house in Behroti area of Balakote sector of Poonch district.  An official said two civilians were also injured in shelling in Manjakote belt of Rajouri and have been hospitalised.

In the wake of heavy mortar shelling from across the border, authorities ordered the closure of 16 schools in Rajouri district. "District administration ordered the closure of all schools early morning. However, 120 students were held up in a government school at Panjgrain and on the report of headmaster senior officers coordinated for their safe evacuation as shelling had reportedly affected the nearby area," said a statement, issued by the Deputy Commissioner Rajouri.

The authorities sounded the alert and advised the residents to stay indoors and field officers have been deputed for coordination, the statement said. Meanwhile, an army man was injured on Monday after India and Pakistan exchanged fire and shelling along the LoC in Uri area of north Kashmir’s Baramulla district. An official said that the armies are exchanging heavy fire in Kamalkote area of the district.

The latest ceasefire violations occurred even as the directors general of military operations (DGMO) from both countries spoke on Monday at the request of the Pakistani army. On July 12, two soldiers were killed after Pakistan violated the ceasefire in Kupwara sector of north Kashmir.

There have been hundreds of violations of the 2003 ceasefire agreement by the Pakistan along the LoC and the International Border in J&K since Indian army carried surgical strikes on terror launch pads in Pakistan occupied Kashmir on September 29 last year.