Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, May 21: Pakistan Army again violated ceasefire along the Line of Control (LoC) in Krishna Ghati (KG) sector of Poonch district last night while troops today repatriated two Pakistan shepherds to Pakistan Army officials from Chakan-Da-Bagh, who had inadvertently crossed into the Indian side from Keri sector of Rajouri district yesterday while grazing their cattle.
Army spokesman Col Manish Mehta said Pakistan Army violated ceasefire in Krishna Ghati sector at 11.05 pm last night by opening firing with semi automatic and automatic weapons.
“The Indian Army retaliated with equal caliber of weapons,” he added and said there were no casualties or damage on Indian side in the brief firing.
Official sources didn’t rule out the possibility of Pakistan Army giving covering fire to the militants trying to infiltrate inside the Indian territory. However, they said, the infiltration attempt, if any, didn’t succeed in the wake of effective retaliatory firing by the troops from this side.
Pakistan Army has repeatedly been violating ceasefire on the LoC in twin border districts of Poonch and Rajouri and this was ninth incident of violation during the past one month.
Pakistani troops had on May 16 resorted to firing in the same Krishna Ghati sector.
On May 13, Pakistani troops had violated ceasefire in Poonch’s KG sector. On May 11, a ceasefire violation in Krishna Ghati sector was reported. Pakistani troops had resorted to firing on Indian posts along the LoC in Nangi Tekri area of Poonch district from 11.30pm.
Eight days earlier, Pakistani troops violated ceasefire in Bhimber Gali area of Rajouri district and on May 3 in Mendhar in Poonch.
Army officials said the ceasefire violations and firing by Pakistan were aimed to help militants infiltrate into Jammu and Kashmir from across the border from the “launching pads” along LoC where they are waiting to crossover.
There are also inputs that bids to engineer attacks by Pakistan’s “Border Action Team’ (BAT) on forward posts and patrolling parties are being planned from across the border, they said.
Meanwhile, Army today repatriated two Pakistani shepherds, who had inadvertently crossed over into the Indian side yesterday from Keri sector in Rajouri district and were captured by the troops.
They have been identified as Mohammad Shabir, 50, son of Lal Din and Moulvi Said, 60, son of Ilam Din, residents of Khad Barahamana, PoK.
Sources said after questioning Army found that the shepherds had entered into the Indian territory inadvertently while grazing their cattle. Troops established contact with Pakistan Army officials, who established identity of the shepherds.
Today, the Army as a goodwill gesture repatriated both the shepherds to Pakistan at Chakan-Da-Bagh cross-LoC point in Poonch district.
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