Pakistan violates ceasefire in J&K's Poonch

Jammu: A day after an army jawan was injured in ceasefire violations from across the border, Pakistani troops once again resorted to firing on Indian positions in the frontier district of Poonch on Sunday.

The firing drew retaliation from the Indian army. "Pakistani troops resorted to unprovoked ceasefire violations in forward areas of Poonch's Mandi sector along the Line of Control (LoC) today," Jammu-based defence spokesperson Lt Col Manish Mehta said.

"The area witnessed ceasefire violations by Pakistan army between 0520-0603 hours," he said.

He said the forward posts of Pakistan fired towards the Indian side using automatics and heavy machine guns. "Our side retaliated appropriately but no casualty or damage were reported till reports last came in," Mehta said.

With this ceasefire violation, the number of such violations has gone up to seven in September. The latest ceasefire violation comes in the backdrop of reports that India and Pakistan would be holding five-day Director General-level talks between their border guarding forces from September 9.

Ceasefire violations in Jammu and Kashmir, including sniper attacks, infiltration, intrusion in Rann of Kutch and smuggling are among the key issues India is expected to raise with Pakistan during the talks.

On September 5, an army jawan was injured as Pakistani troops violated the ceasefire by firing on forward posts along the LoC in Poonch district.