Pakistan Violates Ceasefire In Qasba, Kerni Sectors Of Poonch District

Pakistan violated ceasefire in Qasba, Kerni sectors of Poonch district in Jammu and Kashmir on Monday, targeting civilians. The incident came a day after six to ten Pakistan Army personnel were killed and three terror camps destroyed in a retaliatory action, killed two soldiers and a civilian in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kupwara districtby the Indian Army opposite the Tangdhar and Keran sectors in Jammu and Kashmir. Two soldiers and a civilian were killed in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kupwara district in Pakistan's firing.

In the last one month, repeated infiltration attempts were made from the Gurez, Keran, Machil, Uri sectors and south of Pir Panjal, General Bipin Rawat said, adding that Pakistani soldiers were resorting to ceasefire violation to provide support to the infiltration bids by terrorists.

On Tuesday, a 27-year-old woman was killed due to unprovoked mortar shelling from the Pakistani side and small arms fire along the Line of Control in Poonch district.

The number of ceasefire violations by Pakistan has seen increased in 2019. The months of July, August, and September saw more combined violations than in the same months in the last two years.

Last week, Northern Army Commander Lt General Ranbir Singh had said Pakistan was trying to push in militants to keep the Valley in turmoil after India in August removed the special status of Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370.

Terrorist training camps are still active across the border and Pakistan is trying to provide them with all kinds of support, including weapons, he said, adding that the recent air-dropping of weapons in Punjab with the help of drones was a step in that direction. He assured that the Army was competent and fully prepared to foil all such designs.

In 2019, there have been 296 ceasefire violations in July, 307 in August and 292 in September. There were 68 violations in July in 2017 and 13 in 2018, 108 violations in August in 2017 and 44 in 2018, and for September 2017 and 2018, the figures stood at 101 and 102, respectively.