Pakistan violates ceasefire in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch

A day after Pakistani forces killed four Indian soldiers in across the Line of Control (LoC) Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistani soldiers again targeted Indian forward posts and villages in the states's Poonch district on Sunday afternoon.

Firing between the two sides was going on when the last reports came. Indian troops guarding the LoC retaliated effectively, a police official said.

Pakistani troops started firing from heavy and light weapons from across the border, targeting forward posts and villages in Shahpur sector around 12.55 pm today, a police official said.

However, there is no immediate report of any casualty in the skirmishes, the official said.

Meanwhile, a Pakistani soldier was killed on Sunday in retaliatory fire by the Indian Army in Jammu and Kashmir's Jhangar sector, sources told ANI.

On Saturday, Pakistani forces opened fire on an Indian Army patrol, killing a Major and three soldiers in Rajouri district's Keri sector.

Thirty-four persons, including 14 Army personnel, 12 civilians and four BSF personnel have been killed in the 881 ceasefire violations by Pakistan across the LoC and the International Border (IB) in Jammu and Kashmir this year, the highest in the past seven years.

Pakistan has violated the ceasefire along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir 771 times till December 10, and 110 times along the IB till November-end, officials say. this year.

India shares a 3,323-km-long border with Pakistan, of which 221 km of the IB and 740 km of the LoC fall in Jammu and Kashmir.

The truce between India and Pakistan along the International Border, Line of Control and the Actual Ground Position Line in Jammu and Kashmir came into force inNovember , 2003.

In 2016, there were 449 incidents of ceasefire violations wherein 13 civilians and 13 government forces personnel were killed and 83 civilians and 99 security personnel were injured.

In 2014, there were 583 incidents of ceasefire violation in which 14 civilians and three security personnel were killed and 101 civilians and 28 security personnel were injured.

In 2015, the number of ceasefire violations was 405; 347 in 2013, 114 in 2012, 62 in 2011 and 70 in 2010. 

(With inputs from PTI)