Woman injured as Pak violates ceasefire along LoC

A woman was injured in a ceasefire violation by Pakistan along the Line of Control (LoC) in Tanghdar sector of north Kashmir’s Kupwara district on Thursday night.

Officials said Pakistani army started firing at 11 pm on Thursday, which continued intermittently till 4.30 am Friday during which a shell landed on the civilian population, injuring a woman.

The injured, identified as Noor Jahan, was shifted to a hospital for treatment.

Pakistan army has been violating ceasefire along the LoC and international border (IB) in Jammu and Kashmir frequently. Since the third week of January, 28 persons, including 14 security personnel and 14 civilians, have been killed in Pakistani ceasefire violations along the LoC and the IB in Jammu while hundreds have been injured.

Union Minister of State for Home Hansraj Gangaram Ahir informed Parliament last month that Pakistan has violated ceasefire along the LoC and the IB 633 times in just two months this year.

On March 18, in one of the worst ceasefire violations in recent years, five members of a family, including minors, were killed while two others were injured in Pakistani shelling in Balakote sector along the LoC in Poonch district. In February, four Army personnel, including a 22-year-old Captain, were killed in Pakistani shelling along the LoC in Poonch and Rajouri districts.

The Indian and Pakistani armies had agreed on a ceasefire along the LoC, the international border (IB) and along Actual Ground Position Line at Siachen glacier in November 2003. Although it held good for 10 years, in the last few years, Pakistani troops have been violating the ceasefire agreement with higher frequency.

According to official figures, in 2017, the ceasefire was violated by Pakistan along the LoC 860 times and 111 times along the IB. The highest number of such violations took place in 2002, when 8,376 incidents were reported, while 2,045 incidents of ceasefire violations were reported in 2003.