Rediff

Srinagar, Oct 28: Less than a fortnight after Pakistan promised to stop cross-border firing, its troops on Tuesday shelled Indian posts, again violating the ceasefire along the Line of Control in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir.

Pakistani troops fired mortar shells and rocket projectile grenades and opened small arms firing on Indian posts along LoC in Sabzian area of Poonch district at around 11.45 pm on Monday night, a senior army official told PTI.

Around 10 shells were intermittently fired for nearly half an hour, he said adding that these shells exploded away from the forward posts and there was no casualty on the Indian side.

Border Security Force troops of 192 battalion, guarding the border line, observed calm despite provocation and did not retaliate.

The ceasefire violation by Pakistan came less than a fortnight after India and Pakistan decided to refrain from cross-border firing and shelling and to preserve the sanctity of the four-year-old ceasefire along Indo-Pak border.

This was agreed at a two-day long bi-annual meeting between Pakistan Rangers and the BSF at Lahore on October 16 during which Pakistan Rangers Director General Lt Gen Mohammad Yaqoob Khan promised to Additional Director General BSF U K Bansal that there would be no ceasefire violations henceforth while acknowledging that there had been some violations earlier.