Pakistan violates ceasefire along LoC; targets Indian forward posts and civilian areas
Srinagar: Pakistani troops violated the November 2003 ceasefire twice overnight by targeting Indian forward posts and civilian areas along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district with mortar bombs and small arms, officials said on Wednesday. Indian Army retaliated by returning fire however, no casualties were reported on either side.
A defence spokesperson in Jammu said that the Pakistani troops fired small arms and mortar bombs of 120 mm and 61 mm range on Indian posts in Sabzian and Balakote-Hamirpur sectors of Poonch, prompting the Indian troops to retaliate. He added that this was the 21st ceasefire violation along the India-Pakistan borders in Jammu region in August.
“They fired from automatic weapons and 120 mm mortar shells in Sabzian sector from 9 PM on Tuesday and after some time began targeting own (Indian) posts with small arms and 61 mm mortars along Balakote-Hamirpur sector. The firing and shelling continued till this (Wednesday) morning and some of the shells landed in civilian areas,” the spokesperson said. He also said that the Indian troops “effectively retaliated”. No loss of life or injury to anyone on either side was reported.
Police sources said that the firing and shelling on three Indian posts in Sabzian sector continued till 2 am on Wednesday and, in the second instance, the Pakistan troops targeted the Indian posts in Balakote-Hamirpur sector with small arms and mortar bombs between 11.45 pm and 12. 30 am.
The latest skirmishes came hours after the government told Lok Sabha that Pakistan violated ceasefire 192 times along the International Border (IB) in Jammu & Kashmir till July 26 this year resulting in death of three civilians and one BSF jawan and injuries to 22 people. It also said that measures have been put in place for "immediate and effective retaliation" to such provocations.
Officials in Jammu and Srinagar said that as far the LoC, the Pakistani troops violated the ceasefire agreement of 2003 as many as 21 times in August alone. Earlier in July there were 19 such violations in which four persons including three Army jawans were killed and 14 others injured.
However in Islamabad, Pakistani officials alleged that it were the Indian troops which started firing in Nakial and Bhimber Gali sectors hours after a formal protest was lodged with India over similar violations along the LoC in which a woman was killed.
The Indian deputy high commissioner was called to the Foreign Office in Islamabad on Tuesday by the director general (South Asia and Saarc) for lodging the protest. Pakistan had alleged that the Indian forces committed 37 and 24 ceasefire violations along the LoC and the Working Boundary as is International Border called by Islamabad in July and August, respectively.
Reports from across the border also said that a team of United Nations Military Observers Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) on Tuesday visited Sialkot border villages in Bajwat sector which, according to Pakistani officials, were hit by the Indian shelling recently.
Reports quoting Pakistani officials said that the observers’ team met the families of three civilians, Muhammad Asif and Muhammad Faisal (brothers) and Muhammad Adnan who were killed in the “unprovoked mortar shelling of Indian Border Security Forces (BSF) on August 4”. It also met other people and sought details from them on the cross-border firing and shelling. Earlier, the UN observers had visited the villages in Chaprar sector near Sialkot on July 20, reports said.
