Pakistani Army violates ceasefire on LoC in J&K's Poonch

Jammu, April 7 (IANS) The Pakistani Army violated the ceasefire on Monday on the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district, and the Indian Army retaliated befittingly, officials said.

“Pakistani Army violated bilateral ceasefire on the LoC today in Digwar sector of Poonch district. Indian Army retaliated befittingly,” officials said.

A search operation has been launched in the area to ensure that no infiltration took place in the area under the cover of Pakistani Army firing.

On April 1, the Pakistani Army violated the ceasefire by resorting to unprovoked firing after a mine explosion along the Line of Control (LoC) in the Poonch district. The Indian troops responded effectively in a “controlled and calibrated manner, said the Army in a statement.

Monday’s ceasefire violation took place on a day when Union Home Minister Amit Shah was on a three-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir.

Addressing the BJP MLAs in Jammu on Sunday evening, the home minister assured them that the security situation would be normal soon in the Jammu division.

Terrorists, mainly foreign mercenaries, have been reported to be operating in the hilly areas of Poonch, Rajouri, Kathua and Kishtwar district.

On March 23, a group of five terrorists who had infiltrated into the Indian side of the International Border in the Kathua district were engaged by a team of local police in an encounter in Sanyal village, 4 km inside the IB.

Two terrorists were killed in that encounter, while four policemen also died.

Joint forces have extended their ‘seek and destroy’ operation to higher reaches of the Kathua and Rajouri districts to trace the remaining three terrorists.

A brief encounter took place on Friday between the terrorists and the joint forces in the Billawar area of the Kathua district.

The higher reaches of the Kathua district are being used by the terrorists to sneak into the Rajouri and Poonch districts.

To thwart the hit-and-run attacks by the terrorists, around 4,000 highly trained Para commandos of the Army trained in mountain warfare have been deployed in the densely forested areas of these districts. After the revised strategy by the joint forces, terrorists have not been able to carry out hit-and-run attacks in the Poonch, Rajouri and Kathua districts as happened in the last quarter of 2024.

--IANS

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