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Pakistan Army claims no soldiers killed in firing at border, targets civilians

Pakistan alleged that it was part of India's propaganda campaign aimed at hiding its losses at the border.

Srinagar: As many as 15 Pakistani border guards and soldiers were killed in Indian troops’ retaliatory fire along the International Border and Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir during past one week, officials said.

Pakistan’s Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) dismissed the claim as “baseless and untrue” and alleged that it was part of India’s propaganda campaign aimed at hiding its losses at the border and to divert the world’s attention from ongoing Kashmir unrest.

The Pakistan Rangers and regular army violated November 2003 ceasefire agreement at several places along the IB and the LoC by resorting to heavy small arms and mortar fire to target the Border Security Force (BSF) and the Army forward posts and civilian areas, officials in Jammu said. A woman resident 50-year-old Asma Begum and a boy Ajay were killed in Pakistani firing along the LoC in Mendhar area of Poonch district and in Chamb sector of Jammu district, respectively, J&K’s deputy chief minister, Nirmal Singh said. Several border residents injured in the firing and shelling from across the IB and LoC were shifted to Jammu’s government-run medical college hospital.

The BSF’s additional director general, Arun Kumar, said that 13 Pakistan Rangers and 2 Pakistani Frontier Force soldiers were killed in Indian retaliation since October 21. The assessment by the BSF is based on calls monitored by Indian agencies. The intercepted calls were made from hospitals asking for help to treat the injured. Mr. Kumar said, “There are ceasefire violations repeatedly. We’re giving a befitting reply. As far as our people have seen, what we have assessed is, at least, 15 Rangers have been killed”. Ob October 21, the BSF had claimed that its men guarding the IB killed seven Pakistan Rangers and a militant in retaliatory fire in Hiranagar sector of J&K’s Kathua district.

The latest skirmishes have taken place in Rajouri, Samba, Abdullian, RS Pura and Suchetgarh sectors and sub-sectors of the LoC and the IB, the officials said. They also said that heavy mortar shells from Pakistan began around 5 am along the LoC’s Noushehra, Sundarbani and Pallanwala areas. On Thursday evening, a BSF jawan Jitender Singh, 46, was fatally injured in mortar fire by Pakistani Rangers in R.S. Pura sector.

Mr. Kumar said that he is the third BSF trooper who has died in Pakistani shelling and firing along the IB during the last five days. As many as three dozen civilians have also been injured, one of them –a 6-year-old boy- fatally, during this period. In Noushehra’s Kalal, Baba Khori and Rumli Dhara villages, the firing and shelling started at 7 am on Friday and continued for a couple of hours, police sources said.

Defence spokesman Manish Mehta added, “Yesterday (Thursday), unprovoked ceasefire violation continued till night. It again started at three places this morning. We are giving them an appropriate response.” He said that during the “unprovoked ceasefire violations” by Pakistan army which took place in Noushehra, Sunderbani and Pallanwala sectors of Rajouri and Jammu districts, the Pakistani troops used small arms, automatics, 82 mm and 120 mm mortars in the firing and shelling. He added, “They are being responded appropriately and befittingly. No casualties to our troops have been reported.”

A report from Hiranagar said that three civilians including two girls were injured in Pakistani firing on Friday morning along the IB. “The civilians were injured due to mortar shell splinters in Lallai Chak village of Hiranagar sector,” a police official said over the phone from Hiranagar. He added that the Pakistan Rangers targeted Lallai Chak, Pansar, Pahadpur and Londi villages which also killed over a dozen cattle and damaged over two dozen residential houses. Following intense firing and shelling from across the border, more than 400 families moved out and relocated to safer locations in Kathua district, report said.

A statement issued by Pakistan’s ISPR said, “India’s claim of killing any Pakistani soldier along the Working Boundary is absolutely baseless and untrue.” The IB is known as ‘Working Boundary’ in Pakistan. The ISPR added, “The claim is part of India’s propaganda campaign aiming to hide its losses at the Working Boundary and to divert the world’s attention from ongoing Kashmir issue.”

The statement further said that Pakistan army “befittingly” responded to ceasefire violation by the Indian troops. “Flames were seen at the Indian check posts after Pakistani forces gave an effective response to silence the enemy’s guns,” it claimed adding that the exchange of fire took place at around 8pm in Jandroot and Nakyal sectors. It also claimed that the latest “violation” came a day after cross-border fire ‘left five Indian soldiers dead’ and destroyed four military posts.

Meanwhile, rich tributes were on Friday paid by the Army to its Rifleman Sandeep Singh Rawat who laid down his life while fighting infiltrating militants in Trangdhar sector of Kupwara district on Thursday. “The 21-year-old brave-heart was part of a team that had yesterday intercepted and engaged a group of infiltrating terrorists along the LoC,” a statement issued by the Army here said. He was a resident of Dehradun.

( Source : Deccan Chronicle. )
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