Pakistani troops continue heavy shelling in Jammu, 40 border outposts attacked

JAMMU | NEW DELHI: Pakistani troops targeted 40 border outposts and 25 border hamlets with heavy mortar shells in Jammu sector and Line of Control areas in Poonch district. Pakistani troops violated the ceasefire four times on Tuesday, security and civil officials said.

Low-ranking officials of the Directorate-General of Military Operations of the two countries talked over hotline for five minutes and both the sides accused each other of violating the ceasefire.

There was no resolution to the standoff in sight. Five Indians were killed and 34 injured in one of the worst ceasefire violations by Pakistan on Sunday night.

Pakistan’s night-long mortarbomb attacks and rattle of heavy guns sent the border villagers scurrying for cover from their mud-houses on buses, tractortrollies and carts to safer places.

Anti-Pakistan protests rocked Jammu and other areas too. “There were fresh ceasefire violations by Pakistan at Banwat and Hamirpur along LoC in Poonch. The firing started at 1620 hours with Small Arms and Mortars,” Defence Spokesman Lt Col Maneesh Mehta said on Tuesday.

India feels Pakistan triggered this round of hostility by firing without provocation on Eid eve to score brownie points by highlighting India’s retaliatory fire and internationalising the issue, adds Aman Sharma from New Delhi.

“The Pakistan Foreign Ministry statement issued on Monday blaming India for unprovoked firing is a piece of mischief. They initiated the firing on Eid eve, we had to retaliate. We even got a call from the Pakistan side on Sunday night asking why we had resorted to firing and we had to tell them it was they who had initiated it,” a top home ministry official told ET.