Indian-Pakistani border firing kills 9; PM Modi in Kashmir today

Srinagar: Nine people including three children and a Border Security Force (BSF) jawan were killed on Friday as Indian and Pakistani border guards traded mortar and small and medium arms fire along Jammu-Sialkot border.

The police and BSF officials in Jammu said a BSF jawan and four civilians including a couple were killed in what they alleged was unprovoked firing by Pakistan Rangers in R.S.Pura, Bishnah and Arnia sectors of Jammu district along the International Border (IB). One BSF trooper and 12 civilians were injured, they said.

The police said this was the third day of shelling and firing along the IB in Jammu district and comes ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s two-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir beginning on Saturday. 

Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti condemned the Pakistani firing and said that Islamabad is showing “no respect” for the holy month of Ramzan. “Continued firing on the border in Jammu is cause of pain & worry. Sad that while our country took the lead in starting peace initiatives with cessation of operations during Ramzan, Pakistan has shown no respect whatsoever for this holy month,” she tweeted.

Meanwhile, the Army on Friday shot dead three militants after it was reportedly attacked by them in Jammu and Kashmir’s frontier district of Kupwara. The incident came close on the heels of conditional unilateral ceasefire announced by the Home Ministry during Ramzan.

Local news agency GNS quoting an Army official said a clash between militants believed to be infiltrators and 15 Rashtriya Rifles took place in Brinjal woods close to the Line of Control.