India, Pakistan Exchange Heavy Fire Along Border After Brief Respite

The last one and a half months has seen some 513 ceasefire violations along the Line of Control (LoC), a de-facto border between India and Pakistan. There was a lull in the firing for a brief period in the past few days but clashes have reportedly resumed.

New Delhi (Sputnik): Indian and Pakistani troops have once again exchanged fire along the Line of Control (LoC) in the Rajouri district of the northernmost state of Jammu and Kashmir.

"The heavy exchange of mortar and small arms firing took place at about 0815 hrs local time in Nowshera sector of Rajouri," a government official told journalists.

On Friday, four Indians, including a girl, were injured due to shelling in forward areas of the Swajin sector of Poonch in Jammu and Kashmir state.

Last week, the Indian Army claimed that it had registered at least 513 ceasefire violations by Pakistan along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir since mid-February. 

Tensions between the neighbours escalated after the Pulwama terrorist attack in which at least 40 Indian soldiers were killed on 14 February. Jaish-e-Mohammed, a Pakistan-based terrorist group, claimed responsibility for the attack and the Indian government accused Islamabad of harbouring and sponsoring the Islamist terrorist outfit. 

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"Almost 513 ceasefire violations happened in the past one-and-a-half month, and over 100 times during these violations, the Pakistan Army used heavy weapons like mortars and artillery guns and targeted civilian areas. Only yesterday (Friday), four civilians, including two girls, were injured in Poonch," General Officer Commanding (GOC) of White Knight Corps Lt Gen Paramjit Singh told reporters in Rajouri.

The Indian Army also claimed that the Pakistan Army has suffered five to six times more casualties than its forces in retaliatory firing.