Srinagar: The Indian Army hit a Pakistani post opposite the Rajouri sector in Jammu and Kashmir Saturday during continuous cross-fire following a ceasefire violation on the Line of Control (LoC) by Pakistan that left a soldier dead, officials said.
The number of casualties incurred by Pakistani forces in the hit are not yet clear.
Shelling from across either side of the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir has been underway since 6:30am Saturday after Pakistan violated the cease-fire near the Nowshera sector in Rajouri district.
“A soldier of the Indian Army was killed in the shelling by Pakistan in the Nowshera sector. By Saturday evening, shelling from Pakistan side across the LoC had subsided but had not stopped completely. There have been increased attempts at infiltration across the LoC into Jammu and Kashmir over the past few days,” a senior Army official told IANS.
Lance Naik Sandeep Thapa, who sustained fatal injuries during the shelling, is a resident of Dehradun. As per sources, Thapa, 35, had been serving in the Army for the past 15 years.
According to Army sources, a major hub has been established by Pakistan in the Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir region to facilitate entry of terrorists into India.
Sources said firing of small arms and shelling with mortars by Pakistan on Saturday was totally unprovoked. There was befitting retaliation from the Indian Army to the unprovoked ceasefire violation.
Thapa’s death is the seventh instance of casualty of Indians during ceasefire violations by Pakistan this year.
As compared to the previous seven months of 2019, there has been considerable decrease in ceasefire violations at the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir in August. On July 30, four special service personnel of Pakistan’s Border Action Team had been shot down during an attempt to infiltrate into Jammu and Kashmir.
Ceasefire violations had been the highest in the month of July in which, incidentally, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan and US President Donald Trump had held a bilateral meeting in Washington DC.
(IANS)
