Pakistani troops resorted to unprovoked and indiscriminate firing amid rocket and mortar shell attacks on Line of Control (LoC) posts injuring three Army jawans and a civilian in Poonch sector of Jammu and Kashmir.
This is the 11th ceasefire violation in past five days, Army officials said Thursday.
Pakistani troops opened fire along LoC on several Indian forward posts in Balakote belt of Poonch district from 0630 hours, the officials said.
They fired automatic weapons, rockets and mortar shells in which three jawans received minor injury. They have shifted to hospital.
A shell of 82-mm mortar fired by Pakistan troops fell in Sanjote forward area of Mendhar tehsil resulting in injury to Parvaiz, a civilian, who was shifted to GMC hospital in Jammu.
A rocket fired by Pakistani troops fell and exploded on a cowshed in Basonia village of Mendhar Thursday afternoon resulting in death of a dozen cattle.
Defence spokesman, Jammu, S.N. Acharya said in an official release that Pakistan Army started unprovoked firing at Indian forward posts in Mendhar sector from 06.30 am.
“Own troops retaliated immediately with heavy calibre weapons,” Acharya said, adding that the firing was on till late in the afternoon.
“The 2003 Indo-Pak ceasefire has become meaningless. There is daily firing these days as was witnessed before the 2003 truce between India and Pakistan,” a senior security officer said.
There have been 57 ceasefire violations by Pakistani troops from January 1 to August 5 this year, which is 80 per cent more than during the same period last year, the defence spokesman said.
On Wednesday night at around 21.00 hours, Pakistani troops violated ceasefire and fired on Indian posts along LoC in Mendhar sub-sector of Poonch district, Acharya said.
They fired automatic weapons and medium mortar shells. Indian troops fired back resulting in exchanges that continued till 23.05 hours, Acharya said, adding that there was no loss of life or injury to anyone in the firing.
There were two ceasefire violations on August 13, when Pak troops targeted Narianpur BoP along IB in Samba district and 16 Indian forward posts in Hamirpur, Balakote and Mankote forward areas in Poonch through the night.
Three ceasefire violations took place on August 12 when Pak troops fired on BoPs and Indian posts along Indo-Pak border in Durga Battalion (Poonch), Kothay (Samba) and Hamirpur-Balakote forward areas (Poonch).
On August 12, Pakistani troops opened heavy fire using mortars, rockets and small arms on 11 Indian forward posts along the LoC in Digwar, Mankote and Durga Battalion areas and it continued till next morning triggering heavy exchanges in Poonch.