SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir Assembly on Monday witnessed a ruckus over the Army and civilians casualties caused in the latest ceasefire violation by Pakistani troops along the Line of Control (LoC), leading to the adjournment of the House.
Four Army soldiers including a captain were killed and two others and a BSF trooper and two civilians injured in the Pakistani firing in Bhimber Gali sector of Rajouri district and Shahpur sector in neighbouring Poonch district on Sunday. The cross-LoC firing was reported also from Manjakote area of Rajouri and at a couple of places in Poonch during the day.
The Army had said that the Pakistani troops used small and medium automatic weapons and mortar guns to target the Indian forward posts and civilian areas in these sectors. It also said the Indian troops retaliated “strongly and effectively” to “unprovoked and indiscriminate” firing by the Pakistani troops, using the same calibre weaponry. The Pakistani authorities had reported one civilian death and injuries to two children in the Indian firing in Haveli (Poonch) area on their side of the de facto border.
In view of tensions and to prevent harm coming to students and teachers, the district authorities ordered closure of 84 schools located in close proximity to the LoC in Rajouri for three days. “We’ve closed 84 schools for three days as a precautionary measure. We’ve also deputed teams to assess the loss to properties and livestock in the Pakistani firing in the district,” said Rajouri’s deputy commissioner Shahid Iqbal Choudhary.
