J&K: Pak fires across LoC in Poonch

Violating the ceasefire for the seventh time this month, Pakistani troops fired on a forward defence location along the border in Jammu sector late on Monday night, drawing retaliation from Indian troops. Pakistani troops targeted the Chak Phagwari Border Out Post (BoP) in Pargawal sub-sector, 20 kms from Jammu, with mortars and small arms fire around 2200 hours last night, Border Security Force officials said on Tuesday. Indian troops guarding the border retaliated and the firing continued for over two-and-a-half hours intermittently. "It ended late in the night and there was no casualty or injury to anyone in the firing", they said.

BSF officials said the issue would be raised with Pakistani Rangers and a protest will be registered with them at a flag meeting. This was the seventh ceasefire violation by Pakistan along the LoC and International Border in less than three week time in July this year. Of these, four such violations have taken places in Chak Phagwari forward belt along the Indo-Pak Border in Jammu sector when Pakistani troops fired on BSF patrol parties and BOPs killing two BSF jawans.

Pakistani troops had targeted six Indian posts with mortar, rockets and small arms fire in Poonch sector on the intervening night of July 15 and 16. The Pakistani troops had also fired on six Indian posts along the Line of Control in Krishna Ghati sub-sector of Poonch on July 15.There was also a ceasefire violation along the International Border in R S Pura sub-sector's Kharkhola and Bodla border out posts on the same day.

On July 9, Pakistani Rangers had violated the ceasefire by resorting to small arms firing along the IB on Khawara Border out post in Mawa belt of Samba district. Pakistani troops had also violated the ceasefire on July 7 when they opened fire at the Chak Pagwari border out post in Pargwal in Jammu. On July 6, Pakistani troops fired at Pindi, Mala Bela and Chak Phagwari border outpost around 2230 in which a BSF jawan was killed and a villager injured.There was ceasefire violation in Krishan Gati area of Poonch sector on the same day.