Pakistan breaks ceasefire in Poonch; one soldier injured

JAMMU: An Indian soldier was injured on Sunday when Pakistani troops fired mortars on Indian positions along the Line of Control (LoC) of Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district, an official said. Firing continued in the area for nearly six hours before ending in the afternoon.

The gunfire started at 9 am after Pakistani troops opened fire on Indian positions — Kranti and Kirpan posts manned by 17 Mahar of the Indian Army — at Krishna Ghati in Mendhar area of the district, about 200 km north of Jammu.
The firing continued until around 3 pm. There was no report of any more firing since then. “Pakistani troops opened small arms fire at 9 am. The Indian Army retaliated but soon Pakistanis started firing rockets and mortar,” an army spokesman said. “They also fired 30 mm mortars,” he said.

More than 20 rockets were fired and mortar shells came every five to 15 minutes. Though guns have fallen silent, the Indian Army was on alert. “We cannot take chances as Pakistani troops have developed a habit of disturbing the peace and violating ceasefire on the LoC,” the spokesman said.

The Indian Army sees it as a “clear case of ceasefire violation,” he added. This is for the first time that Pakistani troops have fired mortars since a ceasefire was reached between India and Pakistan on November 26, 2003. Pakistan has opened fire in Krishna Ghati sector for the fourth time this month. Earlier, it had indulged in firing on May 1, 6 and 18. During the May 18 firing, two jawans were killed and three injured in cross-border firing of Pakistan. This is the fifth incident of ceasefire violation by Pakistani troops in Jammu and Kashmir this month.

Meanwhile, in Islamabad, the military on Sunday claimed that a Pakistani soldier was killed in the firing and demanded an immediate flag meeting to discuss the issue.