Ceasefire violation by Pak troops in J-K; 1 BSF jawan killed

One Border Security Force (BSF) jawan was killed and three others were injured as Pakistani soldiers opened fire and targeted 50 locations along the international border in Jammu and Kashmir last night.

According to television reports, heavy firing went on till late in the night in all the six sectors along the border, particularly in RS Pura and Pargawal.

According to reports, a mortar shell fired by the Pakistan Rangers fell at Chenaz post of 193 BSF in Arnia sector at 11.30 p.m. last night killing a BSF jawan.

On the Line of Control (LoC) also, Pakistan Army resorted to heavy shelling and firing at Balakote, Mankote, Mendhar and Bhimber Gali sectors in Poonch district during the day yesterday.

The ceasefire violation took place hours after Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde reviewed the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir.

Accompanied by Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Shinde told Border Security Force (BSF) personnel that the government was firmly behind them.

"We have come here to promise you that we stand by you, the country stands by you," Shinde told the Indian soldiers as he visited the forward posts in Samba sector of Jammu and Kashmir.

Shinde had earlier expressed concern over repeated ceasefire violations from across the border along the LoC, and said he would be visiting the area to assess the situation on ground.

"We have sufficient information that there has been an infiltration. This might be the result of decisions taken by the Indian Government against militants in the past few years," he told media on the sidelines of a function here.

The Home Minister had also rejected third party intervention on Kashmir. He said that the Indian Government has consistently maintained that there can be no third party interference in bilateral matters between India and Pakistan.

"Our stand has always been that when it is a matter between two countries, the third country cannot participate in it. This has been our viewpoint right the time of Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru and even today our view is the same," Shinde said, when asked about Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif hinting at seeking US intervention in resolving the Kashmir issue.