Tension grips LoC after Pakistan pounds Indian positions

Ceasefire violation comes three days after Pakistan suspended the dialogue process with India

After suspending talks with India, Pakistan reverted back to its old tricks when its army resorted to heavy shelling on Indian forward posts along the Line of Control (LoC) in Shahpur area of Poonch sub sector of Jammu division.

Pakistan violated the ceasefire at midnight when they resorted to unprovoked firing and shelling targeting several Indian forward posts using different calibre weaponry. Indian army replied in equal measure to silence the Pakistani guns.

Lieutenant Colonel Manish Mehta, defence spokesman at Jammu said Pakistan troops resorted to unprovoked firing across the Line of Control in Poonch sub sector at midnight.

"Pakistan troops intermittently fired small arms, automatics and mortars. Own troops retaliated appropriately with equal calibre weapons. No casualties/damage was reported till last reports came in," he said.

The exchange of fire was continuing till the wee hours of Sunday. Fear gripped the people after the firing as the peace had returned to the border villages for the seven months.

Official figures reveal around 405 incidents of cross border firing have taken place along the Indo-Pak border in Jammu and Kashmir in 2015. Of which 253 incidents of cross border firing have taken place along the International Border and 152 incidents along the Line of Control.

At least 16 civilians were killed and 71 others were injured in the cross border firing and shelling. Around 72 houses were damaged due to border shelling along the border last year. As many as 7,110 people were temporarily affected due to ceasefire violation in Jammu and Kashmir from January 1 to November 2015.

The fresh ceasefire violation comes three days after Pakistan suspended the dialogue process with India. On Thursday, Pakistan High Commissioner to India Abdul Basit said the arrest of an alleged Indian spy, Kulbushan Jadhav, proved Islamabad's allegations that New Delhi was causing unrest in Balochistan.

"There is no meeting scheduled for now. I think at present the peace process is suspended," he said.

The ceasefire on borders came into force on November 26, 2003 when the then Pakistani premier Zafarullah Khan Jamali announced unilateral truce on all the three frontiers – 772 kilometer Line of Control (LoC), 192 kilometer International Border (IB) and 122 kilometer Actual Ground Position Line (AGPL) at Siachen glacier -- as a goodwill gesture. New Delhi also responded positively and since then both armies decided to hold fire.

Army sources said for the first three years the ceasefire was more or less observed in letter and spirit by both the countries. Pakistani however started showing its true colors in 2006 when it started firing on Indian positions occasionally. Around 15 Indian security personnel were killed in the ceasefire violations from 2009 to August 2012.

(Source : dnaindia.com)

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