Ceasefire violation: Pakistan resorts to unprovoked firing in Poonch

A civilian was injured in an overnight ceasefire violation by Pakistan Rangers on the global Border in Jammu district.

Army gave effective reply resulting in exchange of fire, official said. “The Secretary-General expresses serious concern about the recent escalation of violence along the Line of Control between India and Pakistan, which reportedly resulted in a number of casualties on both sides, including civilians”.

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Pakistan had also earlier this week summoned the Indian deputy high commissioner to the Foreign Office to protest the continuing unprovoked firing which on a daily basis saw civilians being killed, wounded and properties destroyed.

Some 10,000 people in up to eight villages had been confined to their homes to avoid being hit by Indian shelling, said Adnan Khurshid, another senior government official in the area.

Five people, including a 10-year-old boy, Moin Khan, and the sarpanch of Basoni village, Masarat Khan, were killed at Basoni in Balakote sector on Independence Day.

The Pakistan army said on Saturday that unprovoked Indian firing has killed a civilian along the Line of Control (LoC) which divides the two countries in the disputed Kashmir region.

After shelling from across the border for more than 24 hours, Jammu and Kashmir’s Balakote gained a reprieve, but ceasefire violation took place in Saujiyan and Mandi sectors in Poonch district.

“In the month of July and August there have been close to 70 ceasefire violations from the side of the LoC and Working Boundary”. Since then, there have been sporadic clashes, with both sides accusing the other of violating the ceasefire. “We have requested the civilian population to stay indoors and they should not come out until the ceasefire continues”, the defence PRO said. There have been 41 violations of the 2003 ceasefire accord in August this year so far. The countries have fought two of their three wars over their competing claims to Kashmir.