SRINAGAR: An Army soldier was killed and two others were wounded as the Indian and Pakistani troops intensified firing along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday. The authorities in Muzaffarabad said that three civilians including a mother-daughter duo were killed and three others injured in the Indian firing in Battal sector of PoK.
Meanwhile, Northern Army commander, Lt. Gen. D.S. Hooda met Governor, N.N. Vohra in Jammu to discuss the escalating tensions along the borders with Pakistan and the impact of active hostilities on the civilian population of the frontier region.
“They discussed various matters related to effective border management and strict enforcement of the counter-infiltration and counter-terrorism grids and also the issues pertaining to the safety and security of the residents of villages along the LoC and the International Border (IB),” a Raj Bhavan spokesman said.
Separately these issues were reviewed at an hour-long meeting between the Governor and Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti, who earlier expressed her serious concern over the increasing incidence of cross-border firing and the resultant plight of the border dwellers.
An official spokesman said that the Chief Minister briefed the Governor on various important matters, including the security situation in the Valley, the continuing ceasefire violations across the IB and LoC and the steps underway for the re-invigoration of the entire educational system.
The Army officials in J&K’s winter capital that the Pakistani troops resorted to unprovoked firing in Noushehra sector of the LoC in Rajouri district, killing one of its jawans and wounding another.
They said the small and medium arms firing accompanied by infrequent but intense mortar bombing from across the de facto border began at 8.45 am and was continuing till reports last came in. One of the 120-mm mortar bombs landed and exploded near an truck causing casualties among the soldiers, they added.
Separatists to continue agitation
Key Kashmiri separatist leaders Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Muhammad Yasin Malik on Tuesday held a marathon daylong meeting with traders, transporters and other ‘stakeholders’ for an open discussion on the vital issue for generating a consensus on whether to continue the agitation or devise a new ‘action plan’.
The leaders told reporters that the “pro-freedom programme” issued by them would continue. “The stakeholders who attended today’s meeting gave us full mandate to continue with the ongoing movement for freedom,” they said. They added that all the participants unanimously appreciated “united face of resistance leadership”.
