Abid Bashir
Srinagar (NVI): Pakistani troops yet again resorted to unprovoked ceasefire violation in Mendhar and Balakote sectors of Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district along LoC by firing with mortars and small arms, defence officials said today.
They said at 8 pm, Pakistani rangers fired mortars and small arms in a bid to target forward posts of the Indian army at Mendhar and Poonch sectors. “The own troops gave a befitting reply,” a defence official said, adding that “there was no report of any loss to life or property.”
This is the third ceasefire violation by Pakistani troops in Poonch this week as it shelled the forward areas in the district on Tuesday and Wednesday also.
Defence sources said that Pakistan started intense shelling post abrogation of Article 370 last year and continues to resort to frequent unprovoked CFVs (ceasefire violations) in the forward areas of both Kashmir and Jammu regions since August 5 last year.
“The Indian army has been giving a befitting reply to Pakistan every time it violates ceasefire. This time we were expecting some misadventure from Pakistan on the eve of the first anniversary of Article 370 rollback. Our troops are alert across LoC and are keeping a watch on every attempt made by the neighbour, be that ceasefire violation or an infiltration bid,” they said.
As per official records, since January this year, over 1,776 ceasefire violations have taken place in J&K, majority of them in Poonch, Rajouri, RS Pura, Keran, Tangdhar, Machil and Uri sectors of the J&K UT.
An army official said that it is the Pakistan army that violates the 2003 CFV pact every time. “We are always giving them a befitting response. There have been casualties on both sides,” he said, adding that “this year so far, there is a surge in CFV from across the LoC.”
Pertinently, after a long gap of over three decades, the government in the J&K UT has once again started construction of community bunkers in villages close to LoC in J&K.
NVI was the first to break the story about the b construction of community bunkers in Uri, Tangdhar and Gurez sectors of north Kashmir’s Kupwara, Bandipora and Baramulla district. The construction of almost 140 bunkers was started after massive protests by the locals living close to the LoC.
-ARK
