Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Sept 18: There was no let up in Pakistan firing along the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch sector. Pakistan Army last night continued intermittent firing in Sabjian sector of Poonch district from 10 pm to 5 am.
However, no firing was reported since last night from Balakote, Mendhar and Digwar sectors in Poonch. All these three sectors had witnessed intense firing yesterday leading to injuries to a Border Security Force (BSF) jawan and a civilian.
Official sources said Pakistani posts of Bakri and NKP, manned by 644 Mujahideen Regiment, continued intermittent firing on Indian positions in Sabjian sector last night but intensity of the firing was very low.
Indian Army retaliated, they added.
No casualties or damage was reported on the Indian side during last night’s firing, sources said.
They added that Pakistan has violated the ceasefire 96 times this year, the highest in last eight years.
“There were 18 ceasefire violations by Pakistan in the month of September, bringing the total number of violations to 96 this year up to September 18,” sources said.
Set to complete a decade of its existence in November this year, the 2003 Indo-Pak ceasefire agreement has been violated by Pakistan several times over the years.
This year, Jammu and Kashmir’s Line of Control and International Border in Poonch sector and Jammu frontier have seen heightened activity with firing by Pakistani troops, Border Action Team (BAT) attacks and sniping incidents on Indian forward posts on almost daily basis since August 6.
Six jawans were killed, while six security personnel were among 14 persons injured in firing by Pakistan troops on forward posts, civilian areas and patrolling parties along the Indo-Pak border during August this year.
Ceasefire violations were the highest this year compared to past eight years.
There were 93 ceasefire violations by Pakistan along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir last year, sources said.
Five people, including three security personnel were killed and 13 others, including 10 security men, injured in the border incidents of firing and ceasefire violations last year.
Pakistan violated the ceasefire agreement with India on 44 occasions in 2010. The number was 51 in 2011. Two Army personnel were killed during the violations in 2010 and one was killed in 2011, sources said.
There were 28 ceasefire violations reported in 2009, followed by 77 in 2008, 21 in 2007 and three in 2006, they said.
“All ceasefire violations are taken up with Pakistan military authorities at appropriate level through established mechanism of hotline, flag meetings as well as weekly talks between the Director Generals of Military Operations,” sources said.
India and Pakistan, during NDA rule, had taken a major confidence building measure by entering into border ceasefire along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir on November 26, 2003.
Meanwhile, a land mine was recovered and defused near the Indo-Pak border in Kathua district.
During farming activity, Numberdar Prem Chand found a mine in his fields near the International Border in Pansar village in Hiranagar tehsil of Samba district last evening, sources said.
The civilian informed BSF jawans of Pansar forward post and they recovered and defused the device later.
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