Pak troops violate ceasefire yet again, villager injured

, Aug 18: In a major

violation that lasted throughout the night, Pakistani troops resorted to heavy mortar shelling and fired with automatic weapons at 20 Border Out Posts and civilian areas along the International Border in Jammu sector, leaving a villager injured.

"Pakistan Rangers armed with heavy weaponry resorted to heavy mortar shelling and firing of automatic weapons on 15 to 20 Border Out Posts (BoPs) in Arnia and R S Pura sub-sectors in Jammu district around 2130 hours last night", a BSF officer said here today.

The BSF troops responded with equal caliber weapons to Pakistan's firing which resulted in intermittent exchanges of fire, which stopped around 0630 hours today, the officer said. An elderly villager identified as Attar Singh of Treva hamlet was injured in the mortar shelling, he said.

There were reports that Pakistani Rangers also fired 82-mm mortars on BoPs and some civilian areas in Arnia and R S Pura. Most of the borderline in R S Pura and Arnia was shelled by the Pakistani Rangers throughout the night, making it the biggest ceasefire violation this year.

The cross-border firing comes ahead of the August 25 Foreign Secretary talks between India and Pakistan. This is the 11th ceasefire violation by Pakistani troops along LoC and IB in Jammu region during the past 10 days and the 12th in August this year.

Attar Singh, a 66-year-old from Pindi Kudwal village in R.S. Pura sector was admitted to the Government Medical College Jammu, a police official told IANS.

"The villager was injured in Pakistani firing on the international border last night (Sunday). According to doctors, he has been hit by a splinter on his collar bone and needs specialised treatment," the official said.

Pakistan Rangers have been targeting Border Security Force (BSF) outposts on the international border in Jammu in the last two days.

The BSF has retaliated the Pakistani firing, but people in villages close to the border in Jammu, Samba and Kathua districts are bearing the brunt.

Besides hampering agricultural activities, the firing has affected schooling of children and caused damage to property.

PTI