2 civilians injured as Pak violates ceasefire along LoC

Two civilians were injured as Pakistan army continued to resort to heavy mortar shelling and small arms firing targeting forward posts and border hamlets along the Line of Control in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir on Monday.

Officials said Pakistan violated ceasefire along the LoC in Mankote and Krishna Ghati sectors of Poonch district. Two civilians identified as Maqsood Ahmed and Ashiq Hussain were injured in the shelling, they said.

Reports said that the exchange of fire began early morning in Krishna Ghati sector.

The latest violation comes a day after a colonel-rank officer was injured in Krishna Ghati sector of the same district, while a 25-year-old porter suffered splinter injuries when a mortar shell fired from across the LoC exploded near him in Keri sector of Rajouri district.

Border skirmishes witnessed a spurt after India's pre-emptive air strike on a Jaish-e-Mohammad terror camp in Pakistan's Balakot on February 26 following the February 14 Pulwama terror attack in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed in Pulwama district of south Kashmir.

Pakistan has violated ceasefire 513 times along the LoC in the state in the past one-and-a-half-months. Ten people, including four soldiers, have been killed and over 50 injured in Rajouri and Poonch districts since India’s February 26.

The year 2018 witnessed the highest number of ceasefire violations -- 2,936 -- by Pakistani troops in the last 15 years along the Indo-Pak border. Indian Army has been maintaining very high alert all along the LoC following inputs that under the cover of ceasefire violations, the Pakistani troops were trying to facilitate infiltration attempts by the militants.