Pakistani troops violate ceasefire again, fire on Indian army posts along the border

Pakistani troops on Tuesday (6 September) violated the border ceasefire and fired on Indian army posts along the Line of Control (LoC) in the Poonch sector of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. This is the second time in a week when Pakistan has violated the truce. On 3 September, the country's troops had also turned to small arms firing along the LoC in the Akhnoor sector.

"The Pakistan army troops resorted to unprovoked and indiscriminate firing on Indian army posts along LoC in Poonch sector of Jammu and Kashmir since midnight," a defence spokesperson was quoted as saying by news agency PTI. He added that the neighbouring country's army men had also bombarded posts with heavy mortars and opened fire with small arms and automatic weapons.

"Our troops are responding appropriately and no casualties or damage to our troops was reported till the report last came in. The firing was still going on" the defence officer added.

In 2015, around 405 incidents of cross-border firing by Pakistan occurred that claimed lives of at least 16 civilians and injured 71, the spokesperson said. He also added that from the 253 incidents of ceasefire violations that took place along the International Border (IB), 152 happened along the LoC.

It was reported that in August also, the Pakistani army had violated the border truce twice and targeted Indian posts on the LoC in Poonch sector. The attack had also hurt a 50-year-old woman.

The developments come amid the ongoing Kashmir unrest. The state of Jammu and Kashmir plunged into chaos in July after Burhan Wani, a commander with terror outfit Hizbul Mujahideen, was killed by Indian security forces. After raging protests and rallies, which led to a sharp rise in violence, the Indian government was forced to impose a curfew, which lasted for an unprecedented 52-day period. The unrest has so far left at least 70 dead and more than 11,000 injured.