Pak ceasefire violation: 2 killed, 3 injured in Pak shelling

Two persons were killed and three injured when the Pakistani Army fired mortar bombs and automatic weapons along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district on Saturday.

It is the third ceasefire violation by Pakistan in as many days. A woman had died while three persons were injured in firing and shelling by Pakistani troops earlier.

The Indian Army is retaliating “strongly and effectively”, said Lt Col Manish Mehta, PRO Ministry of Defence (MoD), while adding that the firing was continuing when reports last came in.

“Pakistani Army initiated indiscriminate firing of small arms, automatic weapons, 82 mm and 120 mm mortars from 7 am along the LoC in Nowshera sector,” said Mehta.

More than 100 people have been moved to safer places from five hamlets near the LoC which have been targeted.

According to the officials, Pakistani troops are targeting Jangarh, Bhawani, Laam belts.

On May 10 and 11, Pakistani troops fired mortar shells on civilian areas near the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir, killing a woman and injuring two people.

In the wake of the Pakistani action in Nowshera tehsil of Rajouri district, schools in the area were closed down on May 11 and 12 .

An evacuation plan was activated for shifting over 1,500 people from various border hamlets to safer places.

The government had said last month that Pakistani security forces had violated the ceasefire 268 times in the last one year. Nine persons were killed in these incidents.

Replying to a question in Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Defence, Subhash Bhamre, had said that between April 2016 and March 2017, the maximum of 88 violations were witnessed in November 2016, followed by 78 in October 2016 and 22 in March this year.

The ceasefire between India and Pakistan came into force in November 2003.