'Pakistan provoking BSF by engineering ceasefire violations'

Border Security Force troops today said Pakistan was provoking the border guarding force by resorting to firing along International Border in Jammu frontier.
Ceasefire violations since the beginning of this month have left over 10 persons dead and 95 injured, including 13 security personnel.
"Pakistan is provoking BSF again and again with the sole aim of spoiling the Diwali celebration of border population," a BSF officer said.
Maintaining that Pakistani troops resorted to firing in Arnia, Hiranagar, Samba and Basanter sectors along IB several times today, he said BSF kept restraint and did not retaliate to the targetted fire of Pakistan.

In the last few days, Pakistani rangers have been resorting to unprovoked firing just to escalate situation along IB, he said.
Pakistan Rangers violated ceasefire several times and resorted to firing on Border Out Posts (BoPs) along the International Border (IB) in Samba, Kathua and Jammu districts of Jammu and Kashmir.

"Pakistan Rangers resorted to small-arms firing at a few BoPs along IB in Arnia sectors in Jammu district at 11:20, 11:25 and 11:40 hours today," a BSF spokesman said here.
Earlier in the morning, Pakistani troops fired on forward posts along IB in Ramgarh sector of Samba district, he said, adding that in early hours too Pak Rangers fired on posts from Hiranagar sector of Kathua district.

They also fired along Basantar forward belt in Kathua district from 07:30 hours to 09:00 hours, the spokesman said, adding that during the night there were two ceasefire violations.
"BSF troops guarding the border did not retaliate," he said, adding, "There was no loss of life or injury to anyone in the firing."
This is the third ceasefire violation since yesterday when Pakistani troops opened fire on the Narianpur BoP in Ramgarh sector at around 20:30 hours.
The ceasefire violation yesterday came 72 hours after the last instance of firing from across the border by Pakistani troops on the night of October 19 in Pargwal sector of Jammu district.

Around 30,000 people have fled their homes to avoid the shelling, leaving 113 hamlets deserted in the border areas.