india

Updated: Aug 09, 2019 01:22 IST

Pakistan violated the ceasefire in place along the Line of Control (LoC) twice on Wednesday in the Sunderbani sector of Rajouri district amid a fresh flare-up in bilateral tensions, an army officer said on Thursday.

The first violation was reported in the afternoon and the second late in the night. Pakistani troops resorted to mortar shelling and small arms firing on forward posts and villages.

The late night violations followed Islamabad’s decision to downgrade diplomatic ties with New Delhi in protest against the Indian Parliament’s nullification of Article 370 that provided Jammu and Kashmir special status, and decision to bifurcate the state into two Union territories, Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh .

Defence ministry spokesman Lt Col Devendra Anand said, “On Wednesday, around 10.15 pm, Pakistan initiated ceasefire violation by firing of small arms and shelling with mortars in the Sunderbani sector of Rajouri district. The Indian Army is retaliating befittingly.”

In the first incident, Pakistani troops had started firing from across the border in Sunderbani sector in the afternoon, prompting “strong and effective retaliation” by Indian Army soldiers guarding the border, the officer said.

He said the exchange of fire between the two sides continued until 2.30 pm. Wednesday’s were the latest in a string of ceasefire violations by Pakistan along the LoC.

A ceasefire violation was reported on the night of August 5 from the Machil sector of Kupwara district when an infiltration bid by five to six armed militants was foiled and a soldier was injured in firing. On August 3, Pakistan targeted Mehdhar sector of Poonch.

On the intervening night of July 31 and August 1, the army had claimed to have repelled an attempt by a mixed group of Pakistani soldiers and terrorists to attack an army post along the LoC, inflicting heavy casualties.

Last month, two army personnel and a 10-day-old baby were killed and several civilians injured in heavy Pakistani shelling and firing in the twin border districts of Poonch and Rajouri in the Jammu region.