Rajouri, September 21
In one of the biggest violation of the more than four-year-old truce, Pakistani troops allegedly fired on an Indian forward post in Banda Chechian area of Poonch district today.
This comes a day before the India and Pakistan joint working group on the cross-Line of Control (LoC) confidence-building measures meets in Delhi to finalise the modalities and items to be traded across the LoC.
Army sources said Pakistani troops resorted to “indiscriminate” fire from their forward posts of Kabristan and Kallas on the Indian forward posts of Kallas and FDL in Banda Chechian area. The Pakistani troops reportedly gave cover fire to a group of 3-4 infiltrating militants. “Pakistani troops fired about 1,500 rounds from heavy machine gun, light machine gun and BMG on the Indian posts to push in militants”, Army sources said. The fire was returned by the Indian troops.
Two infiltrating militants were shot dead by the Indian troops. Sepoy Chiba of the 1 Assam regiment was killed, while three jawans were injured in the incident.
Army sources informed that the militants were trapped at the “no-mans” land near the LoC and were firing along with Pakistani troops on the Indian posts.
The bodies of the two slain militants were still lying on the no-mans land. The encounter was reportedly on till the last reports came in.
Even as the Army authorities are tight-lipped on the matter, official spokesperson of the ministry of defence, Lt Col. S.D. Goswami, said the Army authorities had not given any details of the incident to his office.
