Contradicting its foreign minister SM Qureshi, Pak Army denies JeM presence in country, shifts to artillery to pound India posts; Violates ceasefire thrice in a day in at least six places in different sectors in Rajouri & Poonch
Tension escalated on Line of Control (LoC) after Pakistan army used artillery to pound the Indian positions and civilian areas in the Rajouri and Poonch districts of Jammu division.
Pakistan army violated ceasefire thrice in a day in at least six places in different sectors in the Rajouri and Poonch districts of Pir Panjal valley of Jammu. Since the fresh tensions started post air strikes on Balakot terror camps, Pakistan army for the first time used artillery to hit the Indian positions.
"Pakistan continues its nefarious designs. Third time in a day Pakistan initiated the unprovoked ceasefire violation by heavy shelling with artillery and firing of small arms along LoC in the Nowshera and Sunderbani Sectors of Rajouri district," said Lieutenant Colonel Devender Anand, defence spokesman at Jammu.
Earlier, Pakistan army violated ceasefire in the Krishna Ghati sector of Poonch. The firing started at 6 pm and continued till 8.15 pm. Later, Pakistan army changed gears and opened another front in Sunderbani sector. "Ceasefire violation in Sunderbani started at 10.30 pm and continued till 4.30 am," said Lieutenant Colonel Anand.
Indian army immediately swung into action and responded in equal measure to silence the Pak guns. "Indian Army is retaliating strongly and effectively," he said.
What exemplified the resilience of the border people was that despite the cross border shelling the schools and educational institutions were open and students wrote their exams as well in Rajouri district on Wednesday.
"Students appeared for the exams. In fact, there was a ceasefire violation when exams were being conducted. But the students appeared for the test and by the time exams concluded the ceasefire violation also ended," Mohommad Aijaz Asad, district development commissioner of Rajouri, told DNA.
Asad said there has been no evacuation of the civilians from the border areas in Rajouri. "There is no shifting and no evacuation," he said.
Spitting Fire
- Official figures reveal that Pakistan carried out 1,599 ceasefire violations along LoC in which 20 security force personnel were killed in 2018.
- 109 people including 35 jawans and 21 BSF personnel were killed and 565 people injured, including 302 civilians and 263 security force personnel, in cross-border firing from Jan 2016 to July 2018.
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