Cross-border attack: Indian firing injures Pakistani citizen at LoC

Firing from the Indian side injured a Pakistani citizen in the Battal sector at the Line of Control (LoC) on Monday, reported Express News.

Indian and Pakistani officials held a flag meeting earlier during the day to discuss the ceasefire violations. Before the meeting, Indian chief of army staff ordered his commanders to give an “aggressive” response to any firing by Pakistani forces along the de facto border in disputed Kashmir.

Firing and small skirmishes are common along the 740km LoC despite a ceasefire that was agreed in 2003. The Indian army says eight of its soldiers were killed in 2012, in 75 incidents of ceasefire violations.

Last Sunday, a Pakistani soldier was killed in what Islamabad said was a cross-border raid mounted by the Indians. The Indian army denied any of its troops breached the control line, but said there had been an exchange of fire.

Two days later, further south along the LoC in the Mendhar district, two Indian soldiers were killed in a thick forest after what Indian officials said was a deep incursion into their territory by Pakistani forces.

On Thursday, hostilities erupted again in another part of the ceasefire line, and this time Pakistan said one of its soldiers was killed.