Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Sept 16: Pakistan army has once again stepped-up mortar shelling, using heavy mortars like 120 mm, targeting forward Indian position along the Line of Control (LoC) in Balakote and Krishna Ghati (KG) sectors in Poonch district since last night. Pakistani troops targeted civilian areas at various place on the LoC.
A Pakistan army jawan was killed in retaliatory firing by the troops, official sources said.
After heavy shelling and firing last night and this morning, Pakistan army resumed mortar shelling and firing with heavy arms at 8.40 pm tonight in Balakote sector and surrounding areas. The troops from this side retaliated effectively, leading to heavy exchanges.
The exchange of shelling and firing was going on when the reports last came in tonight but there were no reports of any casualties or damage on the Indian side.
Sources said Pakistan army personnel resorted to unprovoked firing and shelling in Balakote sector of Poonch district last night and Salhutri, Balnoi and surrounding villages in Krishna Ghati sector this morning. Pakistan army used 120 mm and 82 mm mortars, Heavy Machine Guns (HMGs) and Rocket Projectile Guns (RPGs) in firing and shelling, targeting forward Indian Army posts and civilian areas.
Several mortar shells fell in the civilian areas but there were no casualties or damage on the Indian side in the firing, which stopped at 10 am. The morning spell of shelling and firing lasted four hours while the late night spell continued for over three hours, sources said, adding that the Indian side retaliated effectively using similar calibre of weapons.
A Pakistan army jawan was killed in retaliatory firing by the Indian troops. Pakistan army has confirmed killing of their jawan opposite Gambhir and Balakote sectors of Rajouri and Poonch districts respectively. It was in this sector that a BSF officer Sohan Lal (Assistant Sub Inspector) was killed in Pakistan shelling in Gambhir sector on the intervening night of September 13 and 14.
Some of the Pakistan army jawans were injured in the retaliatory firing by the Indian troops. Pakistani ambulances could be seen taking their injured jawans to the hospitals.
According to sources, several mortar shells fired by Pakistan army landed in the civilian areas but the people had taken shelter inside their houses and bunkers and survived. Pakistani troops directly shelled the forward civilian areas in Balakote, Salhutri, Balnoi and surrounding villages last night as well as this morning, forcing the Indian side to retaliate effectively.
Panic gripped civilians living in forward areas along the LoC in Krishna Ghati and Balakote sectors of Poonch district as several heavy mortar shells of 120 mm landed close to their houses and inside the fields. The people all along the LoC including the areas, where they was no shelling and firing, stayed put inside their houses throughout the day and didn’t venture out in view of heavy shelling from across the LoC.
Sources said ever since India and Pakistan culminated four days long Director General level talks between BSF and Rangers in New Delhi on September 12, Pakistan continued to violate ceasefire along the LoC. There have been over half a dozen ceasefire violations by Pakistani army in twin border districts of Poonch and Rajouri and one violation on the International Border (IB) in Samba sector.
In the month of September alone, there have been 17 ceasefire violations by Pakistan army.
Though BSF and Rangers had agreed not to use mortars, Pakistan army today openly defied the agreement by pounding civilian areas with heavy 120 mm mortars, which are used very rarely, along the LoC in Poonch district, which showed that Pakistan has scant respect for the agreement signed by the Director General, Rangers.
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