Pak breaches LoC again; man killed

JAMMU: A 22-year-old civilian was killed in heavy mortar shelling by the Pakistan Army along the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch district late Tuesday night, even as Pakistan on Wednesday again resorted to unprovoked mortar shelling in neighbouring Rajouri district, triggering an immediate response from India.
On Tuesday, Pakistani firing had resulted into martyrdom of an Army soldier and injuries to four others, while Indian retaliation had killed atleast three Pakistanis across the fence.
The firing from Pakistan had another casualty on late Tuesday night.
“Mohammad Addul Karim was critically injured when a mortar shell hit his house at village Dabraj in Mendhar sector late Tuesday. He was immediately evacuated to a nearby hospital where he was declared dead,” the officials said.
Mendhar and Krishna Ghati sectors witnessed heavy mortar shelling and firing from across the LoC on Tuesday, resulting in the death of Army soldier Naik Ravi Ranjam Kumar and injuries to four other personnel.
Nearly half a dozen houses were also damaged in the Pakistani firing, which had forced closure of schools falling within the firing range in the two sectors as a precautionary measure.
Schools, however, reopened on Wednesday, the officials said.
Meanwhile, Pakistan again resorted to unprovoked mortar shelling in neighbouring Rajouri district on Wednesday, triggering an immediate response from India.
The ceasefire violation by Pakistan took place in Rajouri district's Sundarbani sector at about 3.45 p.m., officials said.
Pakistan initiated unprovoked ceasefire violation by firing small arms and shelling with mortars in Sunderbani Sector. The Indian Army retaliated with equal force.
Pakistan violated the ceasefire near the Line of Control (LoC) in Nowshera sector of Rajouri district on Monday too. Army sources said an increase in shelling could be part of Pakistan's efforts to sneak in militants into Jammu and Kashmir.