India and Pakistan exchanged heavy mortar and gun fire along the international border with Pakistani troops targeting over 130 villages and 60 Border Out Posts overnight in Jammu, Samba and Kathua districts, leaving 12 people including three BSF jawans injured.
The firing and shelling continued intermittently during the day till 1100 hours in Pargwal, Kanachak, Arnia and Ramgarh sub-sectors, officials said.
Pakistan Rangers shelled almost the entire 192-km border during the night. Nearly 30,000 people have been displaced following one of the worst violations of the 2003 ceasefire by Pakistan which has left eight people dead and 80 others, including nine security men, injured since October 1.
People from 113 border hamlets have migrated leaving the hamlets deserted.
"Pakistani Rangers continued with unprovoked mortar shelling and heavy automatic weapon firing on BSF posts all along International Border (IB) since 2045 hours last night", a BSF spokesman said today.
"Almost the whole stretch of International Border in Samba, Hiranagar, Ramgarh, Arnia, R S Pura, Kanachak and Pargwal (Sub-sectors) was affected in the firing," he said.
"About 60 BSF border outposts were affected by the fire from Pakistan side," the spokesman said, adding BSF troops retaliated in a "calibrated manner".
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh today said the defence forces were giving a "befitting" reply to the Pakistani onslaught and the country will not bow down before anyone.
"I want to assure the people that we will not let down our country," he said, a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserted that "everything will be fine soon".
"The Prime Minister is keeping a close eye on the situation. He does not need to speak as our Army and BSF personnel are giving a befitting response and we are satisfied with it," Singh said amid questions being raised by the Opposition on Government's response to the ceasefire violations by Pakistan.
According to officials, over 130 border villages have been hit by mortar shelling and firing by Pakistan since last night. Of these 57 hamlets were hit in Kathua district, over 50 in Jammu and 20 in Samba district, they said.
