Pak firing stops Uri bunker building

Pakistani troops fired a high volume of small arms in the air to stop their Indian counterparts from constructing an underground bunker close to the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir’s Uri area.

The incident occurred on Sunday evening in Haji Pir sector’s Soura area, triggering panic among the people living in neighbouring villages, a delayed report from there said. Soura is the last village on the Indian side of the de facto border in this sector.

The report said that amid heightened tensions set off by the September 18 terror attack in Uri and subsequent “surgical strikes” carried out by the Indian Army across the LoC and skirmishes going on between the facing armies along the de facto border, the Indian Army’s 4 Garhwal Regiment started constructing an underground bunker near one of their forward posts in Haji Pir sector on Sunday.

But the Pakistani troops manning ‘Dana Post’ in Larigam village just across the LoC started yelling to attract the attention of the Indian troops.

They “warned” them against constructing the bunker by shouting that the area chosen for it falls within five hundred metres of the LoC and that it was a “violation” of a 2010 bilateral agreement.

The report said that the Indian troops ignored the Pakistanis objection and continued to execute their work. On this, the Pakistani troops first raised a red flag and then started firing in the air, forcing the Indian troops to abandon the place and return to their post, residents of Soura who witnessed the incident from their rooftops said.

However, the Pakistani firing also created panic in several villages falling in close proximity to the LoC including Hathlanga, Mothal and Sillikot.

Meanwhile, the Pakistani troops on Tuesday again resorted to small arms firing and mortar shelling towards the Indian Army posts and civilian areas along the LoC in three areas of Noushera sector in Rajouri district.

“Pakistan troops resorted to unprovoked firing in three areas of Noushera sector of Rajouri district from 5.15am on Friday,” defence spokesman Colonel Manish Mehta said. He added the Indian troops gave a befitting reply.

The spokesman also said that there have been five ceasefire violations by the Pakistani troops in over 24 hours along the LoC. Four of these took place in various sectors of neighbouring Poonch district on Monday, leaving, at least, five civilians injured and an Army kerosene depot destroyed. The areas which were hit by firing and shelling from across the LoC include Saujian, Shahpur-Kerni, Mandi and Krishna Ghati. The officials said that several shops were burnt down after a shell triggered fire in oil containers at a security force camp.

However, the Pakistani authorities alleged that it were the Indian troops which initiated the firing. “The Indian forces resorted to unprovoked firing across the LoC on Tuesday. This is the fourth time that they have violated the ceasefire along the LoC in two days,” Pakistani military officials said in Islamabad. “Exchange of fire started at 4am and continued till 6am,” a statement issued by the neighbouring country’s Inter-Services public relations said. It added, “Pakistani troops mounted a fitting response to Indian firing in Baghsar, Broh and Khanjar areas in Bhimber sector.”