A villager stands next to mortar shell marks on the wall of her residence in Devigarh Village in Arnia Sector near the India-Pakistan border, 45 kilometers from Jammu
Jammu: In another ceasefire violation, at least nine civilians were injured on Monday night in heavy firing and mortar shelling by Pakistan along the International Border in Jammu district, said a Border Security Force spokesperson.
Breaching the ceasefire for the 17th time this month, Pakistan Rangers targeted 40 Border Out Posts and 25 border hamlets by resorting to heavy mortar shelling and firing along the International Border in Jammu and Samba districts of Jammu and Kashmir.
BSF troops gave a befitting reply to four ceasefire violations by Pakistan, resulting in exchanges, which are still on in some areas.
"Pakistani Rangers again resorted to unprovoked mortar shelling and heavy firing on BSF posts along the International Border (IB) since 2100 hours last night", BSF Spokesman Vinood Yadav said today.
"As many as 40 BSF BoPs were affected by the firing from Pakistan side", he said, adding that firing and shelling was targeted on areas along IB in Arnia, RS Pura, Kanachak and Pargwal sub-sectors along IB in Jammu and Samba districts.
Giving further details, he said almost all the BSF posts in Kanachak and Pargwal were targeted by the Pakistan Rangers.
BSF posts in Arnia and RS Pura sub-sectors were also also targeted by the enemy, the spokesman said.
"BSF troops at all the places gave a strong and befitting reply to firing from Pak", the spokesman said, adding that firing in some places, particularly Pargwal, is still on.
"There is no loss of life or damage to BSF", he said.
There has been heavy firing and mortar shelling on 20 to 25 border hamlets along the IB in Arnia, RS Pura, Pargwal, Ganjansoo and Kanachak belts of Jammu district since last night, District Magistrate, Jammu, Ajeet Kumar Sahu told a news agency.
Over 1000 people have been accommodated in camps overnight.
This was the 17th ceasefire violation along the Indo-Pak border in Jammu and Kashmir since October 01.
Six persons have been killed and 50 others including BSF jawan injured in Pakistani shelling and firing along LoC and IB in Jammu and Poonch districts in the ceasefire violations this month.
The Indian government said its forces were responding to the "provocations" and the firing was not conducive to normalising relations between the two countries.
Defence Minister Arun Jaitley said in New Delhi that defence forces and paramilitary forces were "fully ready and are responding to each of their (Pakistan's) provocations".
He said the environment being created by Pakistan will not help in normalising relationship between the two countries.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh in New Delhi said that Pakistan "should understand the reality that times have changed in India". He said that he had asked BSF director general DK Pathak to rush to the border areas where incidents of ceasefire violations had been reported.
Pakistan has, in turn, lodged "a strong protest" with the Indian government over "unprovoked firing" by India and alleged that violation of the ceasefire by Indian security forces had led to the deaths of four civilians.
The Indian Army guards the LoC while paramilitary BSF guards the international border in Jammu and Kashmir.
(With Agency inputs)
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