Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Apr 5: For third consecutive day today, Pakistan army resorted to heavy mortar shelling and firing targeting forward Army posts and civilian areas along the Line of Control (LoC) in Digwar and Khari Karmara sub sectors of Poonch district, confining the people indoors almost throughout the day.
Official sources told the Excelsior that Pakistan resumed heavy mortar shelling and firing with automatic and semi automatic weapons at Digwar, Maldiala, Malti, Daran and surrounding villages in Poonch sector at 8.30 am today. Indian side retaliated effectively at all the places, leading to heavy exchanges.
The exchange of firing and mortar shelling in Digwar sector continued till 1.30 pm. Later, Pakistani troops extended shelling to Khari Karmara sector at 1.30 pm, where it continued for about two hours. Shelling and firing were very intense and a number of mortar shells fell in the civilian areas at both Khari Karmara and Digwar sub sectors, causing panic among the civilian population, which remained confined inside the house almost throughout the day today.
The people, who had come out of their houses in Digwar sector in the morning, either returned to their houses or took shelter in other safer areas.
No casualties or major damage were reported on the Indian side during Pakistan’s shelling today. However, there were reports of damage on other side of the Line of Control in retaliation by the Indian side but exact inputs of the damages were not available.
Army has responded very effectively to Pakistan firing and shelling, which was completely unprovoked, sources said.
Today’s ceasefire violation is the fourth such incident in less than 48 hours along the LoC in Rajouri and Poonch districts.
Yesterday, Pakistan army had resorted to heavy shelling and firing in Bhimber Gali sector of Rajouri district by targeting forward posts of the Indian Army and civilian locations but failed to cause any damage.
A day before, Pakistani troops had resorted to firing and shelling of mortar bombs on forward posts in Balakote sector of Poonch district from 11 am hours and it continued for some hours.
The Pakistani army had also initiated indiscriminate firing of small arms, automatic and mortar shells from 9.30 am on Monday on Indian Army posts along the LoC in Digwar area in Poonch sector.
In Digwar sub sector, a Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO), Naib Subedar S Sanayaima Som, was killed in an improvised explosive device (IED) blast on April 1.
There had been four ceasefire violations along the LoC in Poonch in March.
On March 19, Pakistani troops violated the ceasefire by resorting to shelling and firing along the LoC in Bhimbher Gali area of Poonch district.
On March 13, Pakistani troops resorted to mortar shelling and firing by automatic weapons along the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch sector.
On March 12, Pakistani troops had violated the ceasefire by resorting to firing and mortar shelling in Krishnagati and Chakan Da Bagh sectors along the LoC in Poonch district.
Pakistani shelling caused damage to the LoC Trade Facilitation Centre and LoC travel and trade was suspended for a few days.
On March 9, Army jawan Deepak Jagannath Ghadge was killed when Pakistani soldiers initiated indiscriminate and unprovoked firing along the LoC in Poonch.
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