Pak soldier killed, 8 injured in Indian retaliation to ceasefire violation

JAMMU: A Pakistani soldier was killed and eight others injured in retaliatory action by the Indian Army after Pakistan breached truce along the Line of Control (LoC) twice in J&K’s Poonch district on Monday, defence sources said. These were the seventh and eighth ceasefire violations along the LoC since July 21.
Around 10.30am, Pakistan resorted to unprovoked firing and mortar shelling targeting forward Indian Army posts and civilian areas along the LoC in Poonch’s Mankote sector. “In retaliatory fire by Indian troops, one Pakistani soldier was killed in Pakistan’s Bhimber locality while five of their soldiers were injured in Pakistan’s Poonch and one each in Hajipir, Padhar and Rakh Chikri sectors,” a source said.
The second violation was made late on Monday night. “Around 10pm, Pakistan again breached the truce along the LoC in Poonch’s Mendhar district and took to intense firing and heavy shelling. The Indian Army retaliated effectively,” Jammu-based defence spokesperson Lt Col Devender Anand said.
There has been a spurt in ceasefire violations by Pakistan in the two frontier districts of Rajouri and Poonch, in which five soldiers and four civilians have lost their lives since June. Four soldiers were killed in Rajouri district — Havildar Sambur Gurung on July 10 and Havildar Dipak Karki on June 22 in Nowshera sector; Naik Gurcharan Singh on June 10 in Manjakote sector; and Havildar Mathiazhagan P on June 4 in Sunderbani sector — while another, Sepoy Lungambui Abonmei was killed in Poonch’s Kirni sector on June 13. All four civilian deaths were reported from Poonch district — a 60-year-old woman was killed on July 8 and three of a family, a couple and their teenage son, were killed on July 17.