Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Aug 11: Repeatedly violating the ceasefire in the last 36 hours, Pakistani troops opened fire at forward posts along the international border and Line of Control (LoC) in Kanachak and Mendhar sector respectively today causing injuries to a jawan of the Border Security Force (BSF).
“There was sniper firing from the Pakistan side this morning along the IB on three posts, including Alfa Machail Border Out Post (BOP) area in Kanachak sector,” official sources said.
The BSF jawans responded effectively, leading to heavy exchanges, which lasted till 1400 hours, he said.
BSF jawan Pawan Kumar received a bullet in his chest and his legs have been paralysed due to the injury to his spinal cord, doctors at GMC Hospital said. He has been referred to AIIMS in New Delhi, they added.
Two BSF jawans were injured in Pakistani firing at Hiranagar and Ramgarh sectors few days back.
Meanwhile, Pakistan Army resorted to heavy firing at about dozen forward Army posts at Balakote, Mendhar and Mankote sectors in Poonch district between 10.30 am to 2 pm today.
Sources said Pakistan Army used heavy fire arms in targeting forward Indian pickets. Troops effectively retaliated to silence Pakistani guns. The firing stopped around 2 pm. Sources said at least eight Pakistani forward posts were involved in the firing.
No casualties or damage was reported on Indian side in the firing.
Pakistani troops have violated the ceasefire three times since yesterday in two different sectors in the Jammu region. Three days after the killing of five jawans, Pakistan troops had yesterday targeted several Indian posts in Poonch district.
Pakistani Army had fired 7,000 rounds of heavy Pika ammunition and mortar shells during the exchanges, which lasted seven hours along the Line of Control yesterday.
Pakistan troops had resorted to unprovoked firing on several Indian forward Posts along LoC in the Durga Battalion area in Poonch district at around 2220 hours last nigh.
Pakistani troops had also resorted to sniper firing on BSF jawans along the International border on August 5 in Narainpur in Samba district, injuring BSF Head Constable Ram Niwas Meena belonging to 200th Battalion.
Meena succumbed to his injuries in the AIIMS this evening. He had been airlifted to New Delhi and admitted in AIIMS as his lever had been ruptured due to bullet injury.
There have been 57 ceasefire violations by Pakistani troops this year between January 1 to August 5, which is 80 per cent more than the corresponding period last year.
Meanwhile, Pakistani troops once again resumed heavy firing on the Indian Posts along Line of Control at Nakerkot and Noorkot in Digwar sub-sector of Poonch, late this evening.
According to Defence sources, firing from across the border was resumed by Pak troops around 10.30 pm leading to effective retaliatory fire by the alert Indian jawans.
Though there was no loss of life or property on either side, the exchange of fire was continuing till last reports came in.
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