One killed, 5 injured in Pakistan mortar shelling

On Sunday, the Army had foiled an infiltration attempt from across the LoC, killing three terrorists in the process. This was followed by another unsuccessful infiltration attempt from across the LoC in Poonch, where Army killed one terrorist and seized a large number of arms and ammunition from him.

[related-post]

Trouble started Wednesday when a sniper from Pakistan side injured a BSF jawan in Kanachak sector at 8.45 am, official sources said, forcing BSF to retaliate. The small arms fire between the two sides soon intensified as the Rangers started pounding civilian areas on the Indian side with mortar shells, they said.

The injured have been admitted to a hospital.

The firing between the two sides was going on till the afternoon. At 3.40 pm, three shells fell inside a BSF border outpost.

The incident, which comes two days ahead of Modi’s scheduled visit to Jammu on July 17, disrupted the movement of villagers to and from Pargwal during the day.

Retired captain V P Sharma, who was returning home after watering his fields, said he was held up in Garkhal.

Sources said the shelling could be a bid to disrupt the Amarnath yatra.

Meanwhile, the civil administration asked people in nearly half a dozen villages along the LoC to move to safer places, Sub Divisional Magistrate, Khour, Rakesh Kumar said. As mortar shelling by Pakistan was still going on at intermittent intervals, officials said they would shift people to safety only after the sun goes down.