Pakistan Troops Target Civilian Areas, One Injured

New Delhi, July 29, IRNA -- One person was injured when Pakistani troops opened fire on civilian population in Kathua district of Jammu region along Indo-Pak border in Jammu and Kashmir. Pakistani Rangers had targeted civilian areas in Manyari village late Saturday night, injuring a villager, the PTI reported quoting Border Security Borde (BSF) officials as said. Earlier, the BSF Head Constable Baljeet Singh was also injured in the firing, which began yesterday morning and lasted for about 15 hours in Poonch and Kathua districts. A villager, Sohan, suffered injuries in the 82-mm mortars firing and was hospitalized in district hospital of Kathua, they said. His condition is stated to stable. There were two ceasefire violations in Poonch and Kathua districts yesterday. However, there was an uneasy calm in the area today as there was no firing from the other side of the border. The Pakistani Rangers had opened unprovoked small arms firing on forward Indian posts including Kotay and Chandwan in Hiranagar sector of Kathua district. Heavy firing had raged on throughout the day along the Line of Control (LoC) at Doda battalions forward in Kirni Shahpur and Mandi sub sectors in Poonch district. It was heavy arms firing with Pakistan using Rocket Projectile Guns (RPGs), Mortars, Medium Machine Guns (MMGs) and Heavy Machine Guns (HMGs) prompting the Indian Army to retaliate, official sources said. However, there was no loss of life or damage to property on this side. Pakistan had claimed that one of its soldier was killed and one was injured in firing. This was the sixth ceasefire violation by Pakistan this month alone. On July 3, Pakistan violated ceasefire when it fired on policemen, who had gone on LoC in Sabjian, Poonch to collect the body of a Pakistani intruder killed in IED blast on July 1. On July 8, Pakistani troops fired on soldiers trying to evacuate injured porters after one of them was killed in an IED blast by Pakistani militants along LoC in Poonch. On July 12, Pakistani Rangers fired on Indian forward posts in Pindi belt along International Border (IB) in Arnia area of RS Pura sector. Meanwhile, BSF has lodged a strong protest with Pakistan Rangers over ceasefire violation in forward areas of Poonch and Kathua districts along the Indo-Pak border, in which a BSF jawan and a civilian were injured. We have lodged a strong protest with Pakistan Rangers today, over firing and ceasefire violation, at a flag meeting on International Border in Pansar forward belt of Hiranagar, a senior BSF officer said. However, the officer said that Pakistani troops denied their role in the firing./end