Pak violates ceasefire at two places along LoC in J&K

A soldier was injured Tuesday as Pakistan again violated ceasefire by resorting to unprovoked mortar shelling and firing of small arms on forward posts and villages at two places along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir, officials said.

The unprovoked firing from across the border took place in Nowshera sector in Rajouri district and Krishna Ghati in Poonch district, prompting effective retaliation by the Indian Army, a defence spokesman said.

Official sources said a sepoy, guarding a forward post in Kalal area of Nowshera sector, suffered a bullet injury in the firing from across the border and was subsequently admitted to a hospital.

The defence spokesman said Pakistani troopers first targeted forward posts and villages in Nowshera around 11:30 am and the cross-border skirmishes continued for some time.

Pakistani army also initiated shelling with mortars and small arms in Krishna Ghati sector around 6pm, the spokesman said.

He said the Indian Army retaliated strongly but the casualties on the Pakistani side could not be known immediately.

There has been a spurt in ceasefire violation by Pakistan after India's air strike at Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorist camp in Balakot on February 26 in a preemptive action following the February 14 suicide bombing in Pulwama in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed.

Four civilians, including three members of a family, were killed and several others injured in over 60 ceasefire violations by Pakistan along the LoC last week.