Abid Bashir
Srinagar (NVI): An Indian Army soldier was today injured as Pakistani troops violated the ceasefire in Machil sector of J&K’s Kupwara district by firing mortars and small arms, defence officials said.
They said that this afternoon, Pakistani rangers fired mortars and small arms in a bid to target forward posts of the Indian Army at Machil sector in Kupwara. “The own troops are giving a befitting reply,” said defence spokesman in Srinagar Colonel Rajesh Kalia. “A soldier sustained injuries in the CFV and has been evacuated to the army hospital, Srinagar where his condition is stable,” he added.
Locals living close to Machil sector in Kupwara said panic gripped the area and people locked themselves and their livestock to stay safe.
Todays’ CFV comes just a day after intense shelling took place in Nowshera sector of J&K’s Rajouri district.
Defence sources said that Pakistan started intense shelling post abrogation of Article 370 last year and resorts to frequent unprovoked ceasefire violations in both the regions of Kashmir and Jammu along LoC since then.
“The Indian army has been giving a befitting reply to Pakistan every time it violates ceasefire. 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 1,900 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 ceasefire 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 report on the 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 is in a full swing in areas close to LoC.
-ARK
