A day after three jawans were killed and the body of one of them was mutilated by terrorists in Machhil sector on the Line of Control (LoC), the Army launched a massive fire assault on Pakistani posts in Kashmir and Pir Panchal valleys on Wednesday morning.
Pakistan said three soldiers and four civilians were killed in the Indian firing. It also claimed that seven Indian soldiers died in their retaliatory firing, which was quickly denied by the Indian Army.
By evening, the Directors-General of Military Operations (DGMOs) of the two countries held an unscheduled talk over their hotline. An official statement said, “In an unscheduled hotline interaction, requested for by Pakistan, Indian DGMO Lt. Gen. Ranbir Singh spoke to his counterpart at 1830 hrs today. Pak. DGMO informed of civilian casualties on Pak. side by Indian firing along the LoC. Lt. Gen. Ranbir Singh expressed grief at Pak. civilian casualty but emphatically stated that retaliatory firing by Indian troops has only been carried out targeting locations from where Pakistan has initiated ceasefire violations on Indian posts. Lt. Gen. Ranbir Singh expressed his concerns to Pak. DGMO on casualties caused to Indian civilians and soldiers due to unprovoked Pak. firing.”
The statement said the Indian DGMO also raised the issue of infiltration attempts by terrorists into Jammu & Kashmir and the “unethical act of mutilation of an Indian soldier” close to the Line of Control by terrorists infiltrating from Pakistan.
“The Pak. DGMO was exhorted to exercise strict control on their troops to refrain from any nefarious activities. This would lead to return of normalcy along the LoC. However, he was categorically informed that if any ceasefire violations were initiated by Pak. troops or any infiltration attempts were made by terrorists from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir or territory under its control it would invite an appropriate response by the Indian Army,” the statement said.
Earlier in the day, a defence spokesman told The Hindu , “We have carried out fire assaults [on Pakistani installations] along the LoC. Most part of the LoC witnessed exchange of fire all day.”
The weapons used included heavy mortars and machine guns in addition to small arms, the officer explained. Heavy exchange of fire continued in Rajouri, Naushera and Keran sectors all through the day.
After the killing of three soldiers, the Army’s Northern Command had warned that “retribution will be heavy for this cowardly act.”
The Pakistan Rangers fired mortar shells in Bandipora district’s Gurez Valley. “The place most affected was Baktor where shelling started around 12.10 p.m. Shells also landed near Dawar town and Kanzalwan area, which houses the Kishanganga project,” said a police officer.
Reports suggest that shells fell near a stone-crusher owned by the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC), which is building the Kishanganga hydroelectric plant.
Shelling and firing were also reported from Pir Panchal Valley’s Poonch and Rajouri district too. “Two BSF jawans sustained splinter injuries in Rajouri’s Manjakote sector. Both of them are stable,” said a BSF spokesman.
Firing and shelling were also reported from Krishna Ghati, Bhimber Gali, Balakote, Mankote, Manjakote and Nowshera sectors since 9 a.m. There were no reports of civilian casualty.
Bus hit
As the attack unfolded, Pakistan’s Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) claimed that Indian troops targeted a civilian bus near the Neelam valley close to the LoC in which four were killed, while seven were injured. “Civilian bus has been targeted near Dhudnial,” ISPR said.
