Ceasefire violation by Pakistani troops came after a lull of two days. (Representational)An army soldier was killed on Sunday evening as Pakistani troops resorted to unprovoked mortar shelling and small arms fire along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kerni area of Poonch district.
Pointing out that the latest ceasefire violation by Pakistani troops came after a lull of two days, sources said that details of the deceased soldier are awaited. According to latest reports, the exchange of fire was still underway.
Defence ministry spokesperson Lt Colonel Devender Anand here said “at about 1 pm, Pakistani troops initiated ceasefire violation by firing small arms and shelling with mortars in Poonch. Indian Army is retaliating befittingly.” he added.
Army chief Bipin Rawat with soldiers at the forward post in Kashmir.On Saturday, Army Chief General Bipin Rawat accompanied by Northern Army Commander Lt General Ranbir Singh had visited forward areas in Poonch district to take stock of the situation on the ground and review operational preparedness of the troops.
During his visit, the Army Chief interacted with the soldiers deployed on the Line of Control and commended them for their unwavering dedication to duty, selfless devotion and high standard of professionalism. He was appreciative of the measures and standard operating procedures institutionalized to ensure safe-secure environment and mission readiness of the troops. He conveyed his satisfaction on the synergy with civil administration and was appreciative of the people friendly measures taken by White Knight Corps resulting in ushering normalcy in areas falling South of Pir Panjal in a smooth and quick timeframe.
On Friday, General Rawat had visited LoC in Kashmir where he had exhorted troops to be ready for any contingency including “emerging security challenges” in view of increased infiltration attempts. The Army Chief’s first visit to the state after the scrapping of Article 370 assumes.
