In 13th ceasefire violation in the past 11 days, Pakistani troops opened another front along the Line of Control in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir and targeted a mosque and residential houses in night-long firing.
Pakistani troops started indiscriminate and unprovoked firing in Mangalnarh forward belt of Rajouri’s Manjakote sub-sector, a senior police officer said.
The firing continued till 0400 hours today and several bullets hit a mosque and two houses triggering panic among the people living along the LoC, the officer said.
The mosque and two houses belonging to Mohammad Iqbal and Mohammad Akram, both residents of Mangalnarh, were damaged during election.
But there was no loss of life or injury to anyone in the firing, the police officer said.
Indian troops took positions and responded with equal calibre weapons to Pakistan’s firing which resulted in intermittent exchange of fire.
There has been 13 ceasefire violations along the Indo-Pak border during past 11 days, and 15 ceasefire violations in the month of August.
On August 20, Pakistani troops violated the ceasefire and resorted to firing at Indian forward posts along the LoC in Hamirpur sub-sector of Poonch district, prompting Indian forces to retaliate.
On August 19, Pakistani troops opened unprovoked firing from small arms and automatic weapons at forward posts in Hamirpur sub-sector in Poonch.
On the intervening night of August 17 and 18, Pakistani troops intensified its offensive and resorted to night-long heavy mortar shelling and firing of automatic weapons targeting 20 border out-posts (BoPs) and civilians areas along the international border in Arnia and RS Pura sub-sectors of Jammu district, in which one villager was injured.
Security officials feel the heavy firing and shelling in areas along the LoC and international border in Poonch and Jammu sectors is aimed at facilitating infiltration bids of armed militants into Jammu and Kashmir.
In July, eight cases of ceasefire violation by Pakistan were reported. In June, Pakistan violated the ceasefire five times along the LoC and IB in Jammu region. There were 19 incidents of ceasefire violation along the LoC in April-May.
