Jawan killed, 2 hurt as LoC firing intensifies

CM, governor discuss plight of border residents.

An Army soldier was killed and two others were wounded as the Indian and Pakistani troops intensified firing along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday. The authorities in Muzaffarabad said three civilians, including a mother-daughter duo, were killed and three others injured in the Indian firing in Battal sector of PoK.

Meanwhile, Northern Army commander Lt. Gen. D.S. Hooda met governor N.N. Vohra in Jammu to discuss the escalating tensions along the borders with Pakistan and the impact of active hostilities on the civilian population of the frontier region. “They discussed various matters related to effective border management and strict enforcement of the counter-infiltration and counter-terrorism grids and also issues pertaining to the safety and security of the residents of villages along the LoC and the International Border (IB),” a Raj Bhavan spokesman said.

Separately, these issues were reviewed at an hour-long meeting between the governor and chief minister Mehbooba Mufti, who earlier expressed her serious concern over the increasing incidence of cross-border firing and the resultant plight of the border dwellers. An official spokesman said that the chief minister briefed the governor on various important matters, including the security situation in the Valley, the continuing ceasefire violations across the IB and LoC and the steps underway for the re-invigoration of the entire educational system.

Army officials in J&K’s winter capital said that the Pakistani troops resorted to unprovoked firing in Noushehra sector of the LoC in Rajouri district, killing one of its jawans and wounding another. They said the small and medium arms firing, accompanied by infrequent but intense mortar bombing from across the de facto border, began at 8.45 am and was still on till reports last came in.

One of the 120-mm mortar bombs landed and exploded near an Army truck causing casualties among the soldiers, they added.

Heavy exchanges of fire have been reported also from Saga, Balnoi and Salotri areas of Krishna Ghati sector in neighbouring Poonch district. The firing and shelling from across the de facto border in Krishna Ghati sector resumed at 1.45 pm, the officials said. The Pakistani troops used 120mm mortar bombs and small and medium arms to target the Indian forward posts and civilian areas, they said, adding that the “befitting” Indian reply led to intense exchanges which continued for a couple of hours.

Mankote and Balakote areas of Poonch’s Mendhar sector had earlier witnessed heaving small arms firing and mortar shelling at short intervals during the past couple of weeks, including on Monday, leaving several civilians dead and injured. Also, two Army jawans were killed and five others wounded in the Pakistani firing in Krishna Ghati and Poonch sectors on November 6, the officials said.

They added that the firing from the Pakistani troops in these sectors were actually meant to facilitate infiltrating militants, but the alert Indian soldiers defending the LoC foiled such attempt, including two made in Krishna Ghati and Poonch sectors on Sunday.

The Pakistan Rangers (Punjab) and the Army have violated the November 2003 ceasefire agreement, both along the LoC and International Border (IB), called “working boundary” by Islamabad over 100 times since September 29 when the Indian Army said it carried out surgical strikes against the militant launch-pads across the LoC. A total of 19 people, including 12 civilians and 7 Army and BSF jawans, have been killed and more than 80 wounded in Pakistani shelling and firing along the IB and LoC in Jammu region since October 21. Half-a-dozen jawans laid down their lives while retaliating to Pakistani firing or fighting infiltrating militants along the LoC in Kashmir Valley during this period.

The Army said that latest violations which took place along the LoC in Rajouri and Poonch districts on Tuesday were “befittingly” replied to by using the same calibre weapons. In Islamabad, the Indian Deputy High Commissioner, JP Singh, was for the fifth time in over two weeks summoned by the neighbouring country’s Director General (South Asia & SAARC), Dr. Mohammad Faisal, to lodge a “strong protest” over alleged “unprovoked” firing by Indian forces along the LoC. The Pakistani authorities said that violations took place in LoC’s Nikial and Jandrot sectors on Monday. They also said that in fresh Indian firing three civilians were killed and three more injured in Battal sector of PoK at about 1.35 pm on Tuesday when the Indian troops used small and big arms to target civilian population of the area.

PoK Poonch district’s SSP, Mir Abid, said that a mortar shell landed in the house of one Zakir Hussain Shah in Mandhol village, killing his 45-year-old wife Kulsoom Fatima and 6-year-old daughter Aamina, on the spot. He added that Shah’s brother Nazakat, 30, was critically injured in the explosion. He also said that another person Ashfaq was killed in the Indian firing at Mehndri Bridge of the same sector and elsewhere a 62-year old man, Rafique Awan, and a housewife Rabia were also injured.

The PoK officials said that apart from Battal, Madarpur and Dara Sher Khan sectors on their side of the LoC were hit after a one day lull. Earlier on Sunday, six people including two women were injured and, at least, 25 houses and three vehicles were completely or partially damaged in shelling in these sectors, they added.