SRINAGAR: Pakistan army violated twice the border ceasefire in 18 hours and fired on army positions and civilians areas in Bhimber Gali sector along the Line of Control (LoC) in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir.
Defence spokesman in Jammu, Lt Colonel Manish Mehta, said Pakistani troops breached border ceasefire in Bhimber Gali (B) sector along LoC in Rajouri district at around 2015 hours last evening. He said the Pakistani troops fired from small and automatic weapons and also resorted to mortar shelling in army positions and civilian areas.
Mehta said the army effectively retaliated with similar caliber weapons. After 18 hours of calm, the Pakistani troops again breached the border ceasefire in the same sector this afternoon.
“At around 2.45 pm today, the Pakistani troops again resorted to indiscriminate firing and mortar shelling on Indian positions and civilian areas in BG sector of Rajouri district,” defence spokesman said.
He said the army men also returned the fire and both sides exchanged gunfire and mortars for some time. The guns on both sides fell silent in the evening. The Pakistani troops had also breached border ceasefire in Kalsian area in Nowshera sector of Rajouri district on Sunday when people were celebrating Eid-ul-Fitr.
Due to the shelling, people had to migrate to safer places. There have been more than 20 ceasefire violations by Pakistani troops in twin border district of Poonch and Rajouri districts this month so far.
Army official said Pakistani troops are resorting to firing and shelling along LoC to facilitate infiltration of militants into J&K to create disturbances.
He said troops are on high alert along LoC to deal with any situation and foil infiltration attempts by militants. On June 22 Pakistan army’s notorious Border Action Team (BAT) attacked a patrol party of the army about 600 meters inside Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch sector killing two soldiers and injuring another. The BAT team also lost one of its members and another was injured in retaliatory firing by the army.
It was the third BAT attack on soldiers along LoC in Jammu and Kashmir in two months. Earlier, on May 1 Border Action Team (BAT) had conducted cross-LoC raid and ambushed army’s patrol party in Krishna Ghati sector of Poonch district killing two soldiers and mutilating their bodies. On May 26, Army had foiled a BAT attack on their patrol party along LoC in Uri sector of North Kashmir’s Baramulla district, killing two heavily armed militants.