Pak targets 40 border outposts with mortar shells

Jammu, Oct 7: Breaching the ceasefire for the 17th time this month, Pakistan Rangers targeted 40 Border Out Posts and 25 border hamlets by resorting to heavy mortar shelling and firing along the International Border in Jammu and Samba districts of Jammu and Kashmir, leaving three persons injured.

BSF troops gave a befitting reply to four ceasefire violations by Pakistan resulting in exchanges, which are still on in some areas.

"Pakistani Rangers again resorted to unprovoked mortar shelling and heavy firing on BSF posts along the International Border (IB) since 2100 hours last night", BSF Spokesman Vinood Yadav said today.

"As many as 40 BSF BoPs were affected by the firing from Pakistan side", he said, adding that firing and shelling was targeted on areas along IB in Arnia, R S Pura, Kanachak and Pargwal sub-sectors along IB in Jammu and Samba districts.

Giving further details, he said almost all the BSF posts in Kanachak and Pargwal were targeted by the Pakistan Rangers.

BSF Posts in Arnia and R S Pura sub-sectors were also also targeted by the enemy, the Spokesman said.

"BSF troops at all the places gave a strong and befitting reply to firing from Pak", the spokesman said, adding that firing in some places, particularly Pargwal is still on.

"There is no loss of life or damage to BSF ", he said.

There has been heavy firing and mortar shelling on 20 to 25 border hamlets along the IB in Arnia, R S Pura, Pargwal, Ganjansoo and Kanachak belts of Jammu district since last night, District Magistrate, Jammu, Ajeet Kumar Sahu told PTI.

He said that in the firing and shelling, three persons have been injured in border areas of Jammu and have been hospitalised.

Over 1000 people have been accommodated in camps overnight. This was the 17th ceasefire violation along the Indo-Pak border in Jammu and Kashmir since October one.

Six persons have been killed and 50 others including BSF jawan injured in Pakistani shelling and firing along LoC and IB in Jammu and Poonch districts in the ceasefire violations this month.

There have been nine ceasefire violations along the LoC and eight along the IB in Jammu. These include seven in Poonch along LoC, eight along International Border in Jammu and two in Gulmarg sector of Kashmir.

On October 6, Pakistan had violated the ceasefire thrice in Bhimber Gali, Kerni and Balakote-Mankote in Poonch district.

On October 5, there were two ceasefire violations. Pakistani troops violated the ceasefire by resorting to unprovoked and heavy firing and shelling in Arnia belt along IB in Jammu in which five persons were killed and 34 others were injured.

There was another ceasefire violation during the day when Pakistani troops targeted forward India posts along LoC in Balnoie sub-sector of Poonch district.

On October 4, Pakistani troops resorted to heavy firing and mortar shelling along LoC in in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir, drawing equal retaliation from the Army.

Pakistani Rangers violated the ceasefire four times on October 3 by shelling forward areas and villages along LoC and International Border in Gulamarg sector of Kashmir Valley and Poonch and Jammu sector in which a girl was killed and six persons were injured.

On October 1 and 2, Pakistani troops had violated the ceasefire twice along the LoC in Poonch district resulting in injuries to six persons.

Pakistani troops had targeted civilian hamlets on October two, leaving six persons injured.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has condemned the shelling on civilian areas in Arnia belt.

"They (the Pakistani leadership) have nothing else to speak, but only Kashmir. Whenever they go abroad, they try to raise only Kashmir issue, but every time they miserably fail to get international attention. The cross-border shelling is an indication of their frustration," he had said yesterday after meeting civilians injured in the shelling at the Government Medical College Hospital here.

"Either we are unable to understand Pakistan's motive behind the increase in the incidents of ceasefire violations or the internal situation in Pakistan is so bad that by targeting Indian side they want to divert the attention of their own people from their internal turmoil," he had said.

DG BSF D K Pathak, who rushed to R S Pura yesterday and reviewed the situation, had said that he did not expect shelling on Eid day. BSF is professional force and will take retaliatory action, he had said.