Pak violates ceasefire in Machil, Poonch

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, July 29

Pakistan violated ceasefire along the Line of Control (LoC) in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district today, the third in Kashmir region this month.

The Army said Pakistani troops restored to unprovoked firing on Indian positions in the Machil sector, nearly 140 km from here, this morning. Indian soldiers retaliated to the violation.

“Pakistani troops first fired with light arms in the Machil sector around 11:30 am. The firing continued for half an hour. Another ceasefire violation took place in the same sector around 1 pm. This time the firing continued for almost an hour,” an Army officer said. “The Indian side effectively retaliated to violation,” he added. There was no report of any casualty.

The ceasefire violation in Machil sector of Kupwara took place at a time when militants from across the border stepped up efforts to sneak into the Valley.

This year seven infiltration bids had been foiled in Kashmir, of which six had been made in the frontier Kupwara district. Over the years, Kupwara had been the Valley’s “gateway of militancy”, through which most infiltrators from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir had entered.

While there were apprehensions that ceasefire violations  by Pakistan were aimed at helping militants sneak into the Valley, defence sources said the latest violation could be aimed at accelerating tension along the LoC.

Jammu: A soldier was injured in sniper fire by Pakistani troops in the Krishna Ghati sector along the Line of Control in Poonch district on Wednesday evening.

Sepoy Rashpal Singh was hit by sniper fire by Pakistani troops on a forward post, said Defence sources. He was immediately evacuated to an Army Hospital for treatment. He was stated to be stable.