India, Pakistan Exchange Heavy Fire, Shelling along Line of Control

The exchange of fire came after a lull in hostilities which lasted over a week. Both sides targeted each other's security posts in the Shahpur and Kerni sectors. There was no immediate report of any loss of life on either side of the Line of Control (LoC), the de-facto border between India and Pakistan.

New Delhi (Sputnik): Days after trading barbs and threats of retaliation, India and Pakistan on Thursday exchanged heavy firing and shelling along the Line of Control (LoC) in the vicinity of Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district.   

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"The firing started at 10:00 hrs by Pakistan Army. The Indian army is retaliating effectively," an Indian official said on Thursday.

The firing was started by the Pakistan Army in Qasba Kirni sector of Poonch and it has since spread to other areas, according to Indian army official. 

The last month and a half has seen over 515 ceasefire violations along the LoC.

Recent tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbours escalated after the 14 February Pulwama terrorist attack in which at least 40 Indian security personnel were killed.

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Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), a Pakistan-based terrorist group, claimed responsibility for the Pulwama attack and the Indian government accused Islamabad of harbouring and sponsoring the Islamist terrorist outfit, a charge which Pakistan has denied. 

On Wednesday, the UN Security Council declared JeM leader Masood Azhar a Global Terrorist.