Pak pounds 10 border posts in all-night firing, 2 personnel hurt

Pakistani troops shelled mortars and opened heavy fire on 10 Border Out Posts along the International Border in Jammu and Kashmir, leaving two security personnel injured on Monday.

Border Security Force officers said that Pakistani Rangers fired from automatic weapons at the BoP forward areas along the border in R S Pura, Ramgarh, Kanachak, Arnia and Checkineck forward areas of Jammu and Samba districts throughout the night.

A BSF jawan and a Special Police Officer were injured in Kandi-Arnia and Kanachak belts, they said. The Pakistani Rangers also shelled civilian hamlets along the Indo-Pak border, triggering panic.

BSF troops guarding the borderline with Pakistan took positions and retaliated, resulting in exchanges which continued till Monday morning, they said. "They are firing round-the-clock on our posts and patrolling persons to inflict casualties," an injured BSF jawan said at GMC hospital.

The mortar shelling could be heard throughout the night in the outskirts of Jammu city. There was firing and shelling on eight posts in R S Pura forward area along IB in Jammu district on Sunday night, they said.

There was continuous and daily firing along 190-km-long IB in Jammu, Samba and Kathua sectors, besides the Line of Control areas in Poonch since August 14. There were nearly 140 ceasefire violations reported this year, highest in the last eight years.

In the backdrop of the increased ceasefire violations, Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde will visit forward areas along the IB to review the security situation on Tuesday.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday said the Centre will have to look at other options if Pakistan continues to violate ceasefire.

The firing by Pakistani troops on civilian areas has also caused villagers from border hamlets to flee. 

Pakistani troops had on October 19 opened fire and shelled mortars on at least 14 different forward posts and civilians areas in R S Pura, Pargwal, Samba, Hiranagar and Jagnockah border belts along the IB in Jammu, Samba and Kathua districts in which two BSF jawans were injured. On October 18, two BSF jawans were injured in Pakistan Rangers's firing on 10 BoPs and forward civilian areas along the IB in R S Pura, Pargwal and Samba areas.

Pakistan had also violated the ceasefire on October 17 by opening firing along the IB on Kharkola and Najwal (Pargwal) BoP of Jammu district resulting in injuries to five civilians, including three children.