Pakistani troops continued breaching the ceasefire along the LoC on Saturday late night by resorting to unprovoked firing and shelling in Jammu and Kashmir.
At least five people were killed and 25 other injured in a ceasefire violation by Pakistani troops in Jammu and Kashmir's Arnia sector.
"Pakistani Rangers resorted to heavy and unprovoked firing and shelling of mortars on 10 corder outposts (BoPs) and civilian areas along international border (IB) in Arnia belt of Jammu district from 10 PM last night," a BSF spokesman said today.
They used small, automatic weapons and mortar bombs to target the border hamlets and BoPs along the borderline. BSF troops guarding the borderline retaliated effectively and gave a befitting reply, he said, adding that the intermittent firing exchanges are going on in the area.
In the shelling, five villagers were killed and 29 injured in several hamlets, Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO), R S Pura Tehsil, Devender Shingh said. 25 of the injured have been shifted to GMC hospital Jammu.
A large number of houses were damaged and livestock perished in the firing and shelling, said Singh, who was leading a team of police personnel who risked their lives to shift the injured people to hospital during the heavy shelling.
"People living in critical zones along the border will be evacuated," he said
Pakistani troops indulged in heavy and unprovoked firing and shelling of mortars on 10 border outposts (BoPs) and civilian areas along international border (IB) in Arnia belt of Jammu district from 10 PM spilling over to this morning, a BSF spokesman said. BSF troops retaliated effectively and gave a befitting reply, he said, adding that the intermittent firing exchanges were on in the area when reports last came in.
In the shelling, five villagers were killed and 34 injured in several hamlets, SSP, Jammu, Uttam Chand told PTI. Independent reports suggest four Pakistani civilians, including two children and a woman have died in Indian retaliation to attack by Pakistani forces.
In New Delhi, Defence Minister Arun Jaitley deplored the ceasefire violations from across the border and said the Indian armed forces were "fully ready" and are responding to each of these provocations from across the border. Home Minister Rajnath Singh said, "Pakistan should stop ceasefire violations now and understand the reality that times have changed in India." J-K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah strongly condemned the shelling on civilians, saying targeting them exposed the frustration of the Pakistani government after its failure to gain international attention on the Kashmir issue.
"They (the Pakistani leadership) have nothing else to speak, but only Kashmir. Whenever they go abroad, they try to raise only Kashmir issue, but every time they miserably fail to get international attention. The cross-border shelling is an indication of their frustration," he told reporters after meeting civilians injured in the shelling at the Government Medical College Hospital here. A PTI correspondent who visited some of the affected areas hit by the shelling saw blood stained beds, torn off roof-tops and windows punctured by bullets besides splinters of mortar bombs lying scattered around.
There were some reports of people moving out of the affected areas, fearing fresh attacks.
The Pakistani troops also resorted to mortar shelling and firing on forward posts along LoC in Bhimber Gali belt of Poonch district since 0830 hours today, a Defence spokesman said.
India today asked Pakistan to put an immediate end to ceasefire violations along the border in Jammu and Kashmir as the ground realities in the country had changed.
"Pakistan should realise that the situation in India has changed now," Home Minister Rajnath Singh told reporters on the sidelines of a function.
The Narendra Modi government had adopted a tough stance vis-a-vis Pakistan and even cancelled Foreign Secretary level talks in August after Pakistan embassy in New Delhi had called separatist leaders from Kashmir for consultations.
Singh said he has spoken to BSF Director General D K Pathak to get first hand information about the situation in Arina area along the International Border in Jammu region.
This was the 11th ceasefire violations along Indo-Pak border in Jammu and Kashmir during last four days. There have been seven ceasefire violations along Line of Control in Poonch and four along IB in Jammu.
On October 3, Pakistani troops and rangers violated ceasefire in Gulamarg sector of Kashmir Valley and in Poonch and Jammu sectors in which a girl was killed and six persons were injured.
A day ago, Pakistan had once again resorted to a major ceasefire violation in the Mendhar and Sawjian Sector of Poonch District. Earlier, two persons were injured in the Swajian sector on Friday night during ceasefire violation.
Kashmir has witnessed almost uninterrupted ceasefire violation by Pakistan since August 15 this year. The fresh violations came after a gap of more than one month along India Pakistan border in Jammu and Kashmir.
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