Heavy shelling, firing along LoC in J&K's Rajouri, Poonch districts as Pakistan violates ceasefire for fourth consecutive day

Jammu: The Pakistan Army Tuesday resorted to heavy mortar shelling on 55 forward areas in Jammu, Rajouri and Poonch districts after Indian Air Force (IAF) jets struck a Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terror camp across the Line of Control (LoC), army sources said. “The Pakistan army used heavy weaponry, firing 120 mm mortars targeting civilian hamlets and forward posts since 17.30 hours Tuesday,” an army officer told PTI. “They fired from small, automatic and heavy weaponry in Krishna Gati, Bala kote, Khari Karmara, Mankote, Tarkundi (Poonch district), Kalal, Baba Khori, Kalsian, Laam and Jhangar areas (Rajouri) and Pallanwala and Laleali (Jammu),” the officer added. [caption id=“attachment_6102931” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. Reuters[/caption] “There was no injury or loss of life in the ceasefire violations,” the officer said, adding that Indian troops gave a “befitting reply” to the firing. According to officials, more than a dozen ceasefire violations took place on Tuesday- the fourth consecutive day of Pakistan shelling and firing on Indian posts. Earlier in the day, Pakistan violated the ceasefire in Nowshera sector along the LoC, the officer said, adding that locals in the border areas have been asked not to venture out. Panic has gripped the border areas and some locals have left their homes and moved to safer areas, reports said. “Since last Wednesday, Pakistan has violated the ceasefire everyday barring Friday,” the officer said. The Nowshera sector witnessed unprovoked firing from the Pakistan side for three consecutive days on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. The Pakistani guns remained silent on Friday, but on Thursday ceasefire was violated in Poonch sector while on Wednesday, they initiated unprovoked shelling in Kalal sector of Rajouri district. The year 2018 had witnessed the highest number of ceasefire violations — 2,936 — by Pakistani troops in the last 15 years along the Indo-Pak border. Pakistan continues to violate the ceasefire understanding of 2003 despite repeated calls for restraint and adherence to the agreement during flag meetings between the border guarding forces of the two countries, the officials said. Amid mounting tensions between India and Pakistan following the Pulwama terror attack and increasing ceasefire violations, the people along the LoC and the International Border (IB) in the region are living under intense fear.