Pak provocation, again

Pakistan Army troops lob mortars and targeted small arms fire at an Indian post in Poonch sector of J&K, breaching a November 2003 ceasefire agreement between the two countries for the 22nd time since January this year.

Continuing with their provocative postures along the Line of Control with India, Pakistan Army troops on Monday lobbed mortars and targeted small arms fire at an Indian post in Poonch sector of J&K, breaching a November 2003 ceasefire agreement between the two countries for the 22nd time since January this year.

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No casualties were reported from the Indian side. However, Indian troops there retaliated with controlled firing to counter the Pakistani fire.

“Pakistani troops lobbed 60-mm mortars and continued with small arms fire at the Poonch Indian post from 12.30 p.m. to 13.30 p.m. this afternoon,” Army's spokesperson in Srinagar Lt Col AK Mathur said.

The fire from Pakistani troops came from their Rawalkot posts and it went on intermittently during the one-hour period of exchange between the two sides, Army sources said.

The current round of unprovoked firing by Pakistani troops comes a week after unidentified persons fired small arms at Indian troops in Nowgam sector of Jammu and Kashmir.

A fortnight earlier on July 28, a group of 12 Pakistani regulars had crossed over the LoC at Nowgam and entered Indian territory to confront an Indian patrol team and fired at a post in Khayam area, killing a jawan there.

Since January, Pakistani troops have violated the five-year ceasefire agreement 22 times and have provoked reactions from Indian troops.