Three killed, seven injured as India, Pakistan trade fire along J&K border
Srinagar: Three civilians were killed and seven others and a BSF jawan were injured in heavy exchanges of gunfire and mortar bombs between Indian and Pakistani border guards along the International Border (IB) in Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday.
Border Security Force (BSF) said the firing was initiated by the Pakistan Rangers in Kanachak and Pargwal sectors in Jammu district early Tuesday morning, killing a 28-year-old civilian Sanjay Kumar. The slain man was a resident of Mirpur Kona village of Akhnoor area in Jammu district, police said.
The BSF officials added that the Pakistan Rangers targeted several BSF Border Outposts (BOPs) also in neighbouring Kanachak area, injuring one of its jawans. They also said that the BSF foiled an infiltration bid by two suspected militants along the IB opposite Kanachak area. “They were waiting to infiltrate or snipe and kill BSF personnel in forward areas but before they could act, alert BSF jawans opened fire to foil the bid,” they said adding that the Pakistan Rangers in their attempt to give covering fire to the infiltrating militants resorted to shelling and firing in Kanachak and Paragwal sectors.
The officials said that the Pakistan Rangers used mortars and automatic and small arms and the BSF retaliated “effectively”, using same caliber weapons.
In Sialkot, Pakistani officials said that at least two civilians including a minor were killed and seven injured in the Indian firing and shelling in Sukhial village on their side of the IB (called Working Boundary by Islamabad). A statement issued by Pakistan's Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) alleged that the civilian causalities occurred due to "unprovoked firing" by Indian troops adding women and children are among the seven wounded. It also said that the Pakistani troops responded to the shelling in a "befitting" manner.
Expressing grief over the killings, former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said there has been no change on the Line of Control (LoC) and IB after the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi with his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif at Ufa in Russia last month. He tweeted, “Very sad. Unfortunately there has been no change on the LoC/Border after Ufa’.
Meanwhile, panic gripped various areas along the IB in Jammu region after the firing and shelling from across the border and people living close to the divide line have once again started shifting to safer places. Reports from the area said that the Pakistan Rangers started targeting the BSF BOPs in Kanachak and Pargwal sectors of the Jammu district at 5.40 am. At least, 12 BOPs came under heavy firing and shelling from across the IB, reports said. But following the killing of a civilian , the border dwellers were seen moving out and relocating to what they consider are safer places away from areas which fall in the firing range.
BSF and Army officials said that there have been eight ceasefire violations by the Pakistani troops since August 1. They said that on August 2 and 3, the Pakistani troops resorted to small arms firing at forward Indian posts along the LoC in Krishnagati, Mandi, Balakote and Pallanwala sectors of Poonch and Jammu districts, killing, at least, one Indian army jawan. Earlier two such violations had taken place on August 1. The Pakistan Rangers also targeted BSF BOPS along the IB in R. S. Pura sector in Jammu district with mortar bombs on Saturday night.
In July, Pakistani officials had blamed the BSF for killing four civilians in two separate incidents of cross-border firing in Sialkot's Chaprar sector and Rawalakot's Neza Pir sector. Earlier two BSF jawans and one civilian were killed in the Pakistani firing in Jammu and Kashmir. The two countries had signed a border ceasefire agreement in November 2003 which has largely held but the facing troops have exchanged fire frequently mainly along the IB (or working boundary) in Jammu district in recent weeks.
