An Indian soldier was killed following several ceasefire violations by Pakistan which hit several sectors along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir early on Monday, a defence official said.
According to the official, one such Pakistani ceasefire violation was initiated in the Poonch area at around 3.30 a.m. local time.
“Pakistani troops opened fire and lobbed mortar shells along the LoC (the de-factor border) in the Krishna Ghati Sector area of Poonch. To which the Indian army is retaliating befittingly,” the source said.
He further stated that another ceasefire violation by the Pakistani troops took place in Nowshera sector of Rajouri at around 5.30 a.m. local time.
As of the time of publication, the exchange of fire was still underway.
On Sunday, Pakistan summoned Indian Charge d’Affaires Gaurav Ahluwalia to register its protest over the alleged ceasefire violations by Indian forces along the Line of Control (LoC).
In a statement by the Foreign Office, Director General (South Asia and SAARC) Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri expressed a “strong protest over the ceasefire violations which killed one civilian and injured two” by the Indian forces in Hajipir and Bedori sectors on 20 June.
Over the last few weeks the two –- Indian and Pakistan -- have been involved in several ceasefire violations in which soldiers, and civilians from both the countries have been killed while a lot of property has been damaged.
According to the Indian officials, Pakistan’s army has violated the ceasefire more than 2,000 times this year while as per the data from the Pakistani Armed Forces, India has violated the ceasefire 1,296 times this year.