Pakistan violates ceasefire in Kashmir with mortar shelling, machine gun fire

Violating the ceasefire again, Pakistani troops on Saturday targeted Indian posts and civilian areas with mortar bombs and heavy machine guns along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir’s Akhnoor tehsil.

There was no loss of life or injury to anyone in the firing, which started at 0330 hours and ended at 0600 hours. Indian troops guarding the border retaliated effectively, defence sources said.

“There was heavy shelling of mortar bombs, RPGs and heavy machine guns and small arms firing on forward positions along the LoC in Pallanwala sector and Chamb area of Akhnoor tehsil today,” the sources said.

Police said the Pakistani troops targeted Badoo and Chanoo hamlets. “Villagers residing along the LoC were evacuated and shifted to safer places,” a police official said.

As some border residents were returning to take care of their cattle and homes along the border, Pakistan troops tried to target them by heavy firing, they said.

Some houses were hit by bullets from Pakistan in Badoo village, police said.

This is the fifth violation of the 2004 ceasefire by Pakistani troops along LoC in Jammu-Kashmir in the past four days.

Pakistan has stepped up cross-border firing after the surgical strikes on September 29 by the India Army to destroy terror launchpads in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir.

On Friday, Pakistani troops had restored to small arms firing along LoC in Pallanwala, Chaprial, Samnam areas of Akhnoor sector of Jammu district during the night, Deputy Commissioner Jammu Simrandeep Singh said.