Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, June 25: Pakistan army today again resorted to heavy mortar shelling and firing in Nowshera sector of Rajouri district twice during the day directly targeting civilian population and forward posts of the Army. An Army jawan was injured in the shelling while some houses were damaged. Few cattle perished.
Official sources said Pakistan army fired 120mm and 82 mm mortars and opened firing with automatic and semi-automatic weapons at Dhanaka, Kalali, Bhawani, Kalsian and Gania forward villages and their surroundings in Nowshera sector around 6 am. Indian Army gave befitting reply to Pakistan, leading to heavy exchanges of shelling and firing.
Pakistan army directly targeted forward villages on the Indian side pounding them with mortars, confining the people inside houses and bunkers.
Reports said three cattle of Manga Ram son of Inder Ram R/o village Gania in Nowshera sector reportedly perished in Pakistan’s shelling and firing while some structures suffered partial damage.
An Army jawan was injured in mortar shelling. He was evacuated from the spot and airlifted to Command Hospital. However, there was no official confirmation of the injury.
While morning spell of mortar shelling stopped at around 8.30 am, Pakistani troops resumed the shelling at 5.30 pm again targeting forward locations of the Army and civilian areas.
The heavy shelling lasted around two hours after which intermittent exchange of shelling and firing continued till late tonight. However, there were no fresh reports of any casualties or damage on the Indian side in shelling and firing.
Sources said the panic-stricken people confined them to houses and bunkers, wherever available, almost throughout the day in forward areas of Nowshera sector and didn’t venture out in view of heavy mortars used by Pakistani troops in targeting civilian populations.
Sources said the Indian troops have given very effective and strong reply to Pakistani troops.
This was the second ceasefire violation by Pakistan in the past 24 hours.
The violation comes just days after an attack by a Pakistani Special Forces team that sneaked across the LoC into Poonch under heavy fire-cover and killed two jawans while losing one of their men.
Yesterday also the Pakistan army had initiated unprovoked and indiscriminate firing from small arms, automatic weapons and mortars from 11.30 am to 2.30 pm on Indian Army posts along the LoC in Shahpur and Kirni areas of Poonch sector.
Earlier on Thursday, in the third such attack this year, a team of Pakistani Special Forces had sneaked 600 meters across the LoC into the Poonch sector and killed two Indian jawans and lost two Border Action Team (BAT) members in retaliatory action.
The BAT comprised Special Force personnel of the Pakistan army and terrorists.
The Pakistani Border Action Team (BAT) members were armed with ‘headband cameras’ to record the attack on the Indian Army patrol.
Earlier, on June 16, Pakistan violated the ceasefire by firing on forward posts along the LoC in Nowshera sector of Rajouri district, killing an Indian Army jawan.
There have been 19 ceasefire violations along the LoC and the International Border in Jammu region in June.
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