J&K: Pakistan shells LoC villages in Poonch, girl killed, 4 injured

Jammu: A teenage girl was killed and four persons were injured as Pakistani troops targeted villages and Indian forward posts along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district in ceasefire violation for the third consecutive day on Friday.

Pakistani troops resorted to mortar shillings and small arms fire on several border hamlets and forward posts in Sabjian belt in the evening, police officials said.

Indian troops retaliated in equal measure triggering an exchange of fire, they said.

17-year-old Zahira Akhtar was killed and four persons were injured at Gigriyal border hamlet, they said adding that the wounded have been hospitalised.

Earlier in the day, Pakistani troops also fired at Indian posts with mortar guns and automatic weapons along LoC in Sabjian around 2 PM on Friday, a defence spokesman said.

This is the fourth ceasefire violation in the past three days. There were three ceasefire violations in Sabjian and Mandi sub-sectors in Poonch and one in forward area in Kashmir Valley on October 1.

Pakistani troops had resorted to heavy firing by small arms and automatic weapons and shelling of 81 mm mortar bombs in two forward sub-sector of Sabjian and Mandi along LoC in Poonch district on the intervening night of October 1 and 2.

They had also targeted civilians living in border hamlets of Gigriyal and Uripura along LoC, police officials said.

Six persons including 2 women were injured in the attack.

This month's ceasefire violations came after a gap of one month and four days along Indo-Pak border in Jammu and Kashmir.

Pakistan Rangers had resorted to unprovoked firing by automatic machine guns on the intervening night of August 26 and 27 on Indian BOPs located in Pragwal area of Akhnoor tehsil of Jammu.

In a bid to defuse border tension triggered by 45 days of firing and shelling by Pakistani troops, the longest since 1971 war, India and Pakistan on August 29 held a crucial Sector Commander (DIG-Brigadier) level flag meeting on Octerio BoP in RS Pura sector to decide to maintain peace and tranquility by silencing guns.