Srinagar: A 50-year-old woman was injured today when Pakistan Army, after a lull of four months, violated the ceasefire and targeted Indian posts on the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch sector.
“Kasim Jan (50), a resident of Shahpur village, was injured when she was hit by the splinters of a mortar shell fired from across the border this morning,” a police officer said.
She was immediately evacuated and shifted to District Hospital Poonch where her condition is stated to be stable, he said.
“Early morning, the Pakistan Army resorted to ceasefire violation along the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch sector of Jammu and Kashmir,” Defence spokesman Lt Col Manish Mehta said here.
Mehta said the Pakistan Army resorted to heavy mortar, small arm and automatic weapon fire in the sector since 3 AM.
“Our troops responded appropriately and no casualties or damage to our troops was reported,” he said.
Army sources said that first at around 3 AM, Pakistan Army’s Doda battalion fired small arms and mortars from their Dhakni-Dhok, Nezapir and Mocho Mohra posts, and later at 5 AM, the Banwat battalion of the army also began firing at Indian outposts.
Today’s ceasefire violation comes after nearly four months after the last such incident took place on April 10 in Poonch sector.
Last year, 16 civilians were killed and 71 injured in 405 incidents of cross-border firing by Pakistan, the officer said.
While 253 incidents of ceasefire violations took place along the International Border (IB), 152 incidents were reported along the LoC, he said.
Around 8,000 people were temporarily affected due to the ceasefire violations and had to be shifted to safer locations.