Pakistan violates ceasefire again, one BSF jawan killed

Violating the ceasefire thrice in the last two days, Pakistani troops on Sunday opened fire at forward posts along the international border in J&K.

Jammu: Violating the ceasefire thrice in the last two days, Pakistani troops on Sunday opened fire at forward posts along the international border in Jammu and Kashmir, seriously injuring a Border Security Force (BSF) jawan. Meanwhile, BSF Head Constable Ram Niwas Meena, who as injured before in cross-border fire in Samba in Jammu on August 5, succumbed to his injuries at AIIMS in Delhi today. "There was sniper firing from the Pakistan side at 0830 hours today along the international border on three posts, including the Alfa Machial Border Out Post (BOP) area in the Kanachak belt of Jammu district," a senior BSF officer said.

BSF personnel responded effectively, leading to heavy exchanges which lasted till 1400 hours, he said. Jawan Pawan Kumar received a bullet in his chest and his legs have been paralysed due to the injury to his spinal cord, doctors at GMC hospital said. He has been referred to AIIMS in Delhi, they added. Pakistan troops also opened small arms fire at Indian posts in the Balakote-Mendhar forward belt in Poonch district at around 1130 hours today, Army officials said. Indian troops returned fire but there was no loss of life or damage to property in the exchange, they said. Pakistani troops have violated the ceasefire three times since Friday night in two different sectors in the Jammu region. Pakistani Army had fired 7,000 rounds of heavy Pika ammunition and mortar shells during the exchanges which lasted seven hours along the Line of Control which began at 2220 hours on Friday. "Pakistan troops resorted to unprovoked firing on several Indian forward Posts along LoC in the Durga Battalion area in Poonch district at around 2220 hours," defence spokesman SN Acharya said. The firing which continued till 0430 hours yesterday represented the most major ceasefire violation in recent days, the spokesman added. Pakistani troops had also resorted to sniper firing on BSF jawans along the international border on August 5 in Narainpur in Samba district, injuring BSF Head Constable Ram Niwas Meena belonging to 200th Battalion. The Head Constable, who admitted for treatment at AIIMS since, at 0030 hours today due to multi-organ failure and excessive bleeding, doctors at AIIMS said. There have been 57 ceasefire violations by Pakistani troops this year between January 1 to August 5, which is 80 per cent more than the corresponding period last year. On August six, a group of 20 heavily armed men led by Pakistani troops had entered 450 metres into the Indian territory in the Poonch sector in Jammu and Kashmir and ambushed a patrol killing five Indian soldiers. PTI