Five persons, including a teenager were killed and 10 others were wounded in heavy Pakistan shelling in the frontier Poonch district of Jammu region on Saturday.
The unprovoked firing and shelling, which according to a defence spokesman, began on Saturday afternoon, left 10 persons wounded, six of them critically who were airlifted to winter capital Jammu for specialised treatment.
The dead included a 13-year old boy, a teacher and a sarpanch.
The sarpanch, according to a senior officer was travelling in his car which took a direct hit from a shell. The vehicle exploded killing the sarpanch identified as Karamat Hussain on the spot.
Talking to Rediff.com, Divisional Commissioner Jammu, Pawan Kotwal said that six critically injured persons were airlifted to Jammu for specialised treatment.
He said one critically injured person succumbed to injuries on arrival at the hospital. The other injured, he said are being treated in local hospital in Poonch.
The spokesman said Pakistan army resorted to shelling using 120mm mortars in the Balakote sector on Saturday afternoon.
There have been 32 violations of the 2003 ceasefire accord in August and this is the seventh consecutive day that Pakistani troops have shelled Indian posts along the LoC in Jammu region, an army official said.
On August 14, Pakistan troops had resorted to firing with automatic weapons and 82 mm mortar bombs on forward posts and civilian areas in Shahpur Kerni belt of Poonch district.
Pakistani troops had also fired on forward posts along the LoC in Balakote belt with automatic, small arms and mortar bombs on the intervening night of August 13 and 14.
On August 13, Pakistani troops had resorted to firing by small arms and automatic weapons on forward posts along LoC in Bhimbher Gali sector of Poonch district, in which one jawan was injured.
There were four ceasefire violations in three sectors of Krishnagati, Bhimbhergali and Pallanwala in Poonch, Rajouri and Jammu districts on the intervening night of August 12-13.
Last month, there were 19 ceasefire violations in which four persons, including three jawans, were killed and 14 others injured.
Pakistan violated the ceasefire 192 times along the International Border in Jammu and Kashmir till July 26, government had told Lok Sabha.
-- With inputs from PTI
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