Zee Media Bureau/Manisha Singh
Srinagar: Heavy firing from Pakistan side along the Line of Control in Balakote sub-sector in Poonch district in Jammu and Kashmir was reported on Tuesday. One Indian Army jawan has been killed in the shelling, while six others have been injured.
Indian troops retaliated and heavy exchange of fire continued for several hours. The firing had started at 5.30 pm from across the border, a defence spokesman said tonight.
The jawan, who died after being hit by a mortar shell, was identified as Lance Naik MS Khan of 15 Bihar regiment, the spokesman said.
Meanwhile, Pakistani troops also fired at Indian positions without any provocation in Hamirpur area of the Mendhar sector of the LoC late on Monday evening, as per a defence spokesman. Colonel RK Palta was quoted by a news agency as saying that Pakistani troops had used small arms, automatics and mortars. He also said that the Indian troops had responded accordingly.
India and Pakistan had signed a bilateral ceasefire in November 2003. However, of late ceasefire violations by Pakistan have been on the rise. India conveyed its concerns to its neighbour regarding the same when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh met his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York last month.
Singh had told Sharif that proper talks between the two countries could only be held after the issues of terror and cross-border terrorism would be addressed by Pakistan.
