Two soldiers injured in fresh ceasefire violation by Pakistan

Two army soldiers were injured in fresh cease-fire violation by Pakistan along the Line of Control (LoC) in Mankote sector of Poonch district in Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday.  

A defence spokesperson said that Pakistani Army violated ceasefire and opened fire upon army's 5-Mahar posts at Mankote sector in Poonch early morning on Thursday. "Pakistan Army initiated unprovoked and indiscriminate firing of small arms, automatics and mortars. Indian Army retaliated strongly and effectively and heavy damage has been inflicted on Pakistani Army posts," he said.

In the shelling two Indian soldiers received injuries, who were shifted to military hospital Udhampur, the spokesperson said. The injured were identified as Naib Subedar Tarsam Singh and Sandeep Rai.

Reports said the intermittent firing and shelling was going on in the area.  There has been a spurt in ceasefire violation by Pakistan along the LoC and International Border (IB) in Jammu and Kashmir which has left 21 persons, including 12 security personnel, dead and nearly 100 others, mostly civilians, injured this year.

The latest ceasefire violation from Pakistan came a day after J&K Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi and urged him to de-escalate the border situation. Despite provocations from the neighbouring country, Mehbooba has been advocating for Indo-Pak dialogue saying it was necessary to end bloodshed in J&K.  

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 it good for 10-years, in the last few years, Pakistani troops have violated the ceasefire agreement hundreds of times.

India shares a 3,323-km-long border with Pakistan of which 221 km of the IB and 740 km of the LoC fall in Jammu and Kashmir.