SRINAGAR: An army man was killed and another injured when Pakistani troops breached border ceasefire and fired on army positions along Line of Control (LoC) in Naushera sector of Rajouri district in Jammu and Kashmir on Friday.
Defence spokesman in Jammu, Lt Col Manish Mehta, said Pakistani army resorted to unprovoked firing on Army posts in Naushera sector in Rajouri district at about 05.15 am.
He said the army men deployed at LoC also effectively returned the fire.
“An army man was critically injured in Pakistani troops firing. He was evacuated to military hospital, where doctors declared him brought dead,” Mehta said.
The slain soldier was identified as 34-year-old Naik Bakhtawar Singh of Village Hajipur, Punjab.
The deceased is survived by wife Jasbir Kaur and three children --- sons aged 11 years and 10 months respectively and 9-years-old daughter.
According to Mehta, Bakhtawar was a brave and sincere soldier.
“He loved his job to the core,” he said adding the nation will always remain indebted to him for the supreme sacrifice and devotion to duty.
Sources said another army man was injured in Pakistani troops firing along LoC in Kalsian area of Rajouri district.
The killing of soldier in Pakistani fire took place two days after army claimed to have killed two Pakistani soldiers at LoC.
On Wednesday, defence sources had said two Pakistani soldiers were killed in Indian army firing along LoC opposite to Bhimbher Gali sector of Poonch district.
Pakistani troops have been regularly breaching border ceasefire in Naushera and Krishna Ghati sector sectors.
Even yesterday, the Pakistani troops had breached the border ceasefire in Naushera sector twice.
They had first fired from small arms and automatic weapons on army positions and civilian areas along the Naushera sector for about one and a half hour from 2 pm. They again fired on army positions in the same sector at around 5.30 pm. The firing and mortar shelling by the Pakistani troops continued till 7.45 pm.
According to defence sources, Pakistani troops use heavy gunfire, RPGs, Recoilless Rifles and mortars to target army positions and civilian areas during the ceasefire violations, which have picked up since last week.
The LoC has become more volatile and vulnerable to ceasefire violations after two Indian security personnel were killed and their bodies mutilated by Pakistan army’s notorious Border Action Team (BAT) in Krishna Ghati sector in Poonch district on May 1.
Since the incident, there has been tension along the LoC with troops of two countries exchanging frequent gunfire and mortar shelling.
According to defence sources, Pakistani troops had breached border ceasefire along LoC in J&K 228 times last year while the figure was 152 in 2015.