Sources said that five Pakistan Army soldiers were killed and six injured after Indian Army retaliated to cross-border firing oppostive Poonch and Naushera sectors.
At least five Pakistani soldiers were killed and six others injured in retaliatory firing by Indian Army in the Bhimber and Battal sector of Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday. As per sources, the Indian Army was responding to unprovoked ceasefire violations by the Pakistan Army.
Earlier in the day, the Pakistani Army initiated indiscriminate firing of small arms, automatics, 82 mm and 120 mm mortars along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Naushera and Krishna Ghati sectors, to which the Indian Army posts retaliated strongly.
Army Chief General Bipin Rawat today held a meeting in Jammu and Kashmir and discussed issues of logistics improvement, mobilisation and security review on LoC area.
Meanwhile, the Pakistan foreign office today summoned the Indian Deputy High Commissioner over the ceasefire violation on the LoC.
Foreign Office said in a statement that India resorted to firing in Battal, Jandrot and Kotli sectors.
"The Director General (South Asia & SAARC), Dr. Mohammad Faisal, summoned the Indian Deputy High Commissioner, J P Singh and condemned the unprovoked ceasefire violations by the Indian occupation forces on June 1," it said.
The Foreign Office said the "deliberate targeting" of civilians is contrary to human dignity and international human rights and humanitarian laws.
"The Director General urged the Indian side to respect the 2003 ceasefire understanding; investigate this and other incidents of ceasefire violations; instruct the Indian forces to respect the ceasefire, in letter and spirit and maintain peace on the LoC," it said.
On May 13, Pakistani troops had pounded civilian areas and forward posts in Naushera area with mortars, killing two civilians and injuring three. On May 15, Pak troops resorted to fresh ceasefire violation along the LoC in Nowshera sector since 1600 hours till late night. Four villages in Naushera have come under small arms fire from across the LOC in Naushera.
Nearly 1700 people have already been evacuated from the LoC hamlets hit by shelling from Pakistani side and shifted to relief camps. Around 10,042 people from over 2,694 families have been affected by the continued shelling from across the border, the DC said.
In 2016, 228 instances of ceasefire violations along the LoC were reported while there were 221 instances of ceasefire violations along International Border (IB). Between April 2016 and March this year, the maximum of 88 violations were witnessed in November followed by 78 in October and 22 last month.
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