Pakistan renews firing across LoC in Kashmir’s Pooch district
11 Oct 2014
Pakistan today renewed its gunfire across the Line of Control in Kashmir, forcing the India troops to retaliate, extending a fight that has already killed 17 civilians in the two countries in the worst skirmishes in a decade, Army officials said.
Pakistani army stopped firing across the LoC after nine days of attack and Indian forces followed it up, abruptly ending the fighting on Thursday night, although the two governments continued with their blame game.
After a day's lull, the Pakistani army resumed unprovoked firing at Indian positions in Shahpur Kerni sector of the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district, today, reports quoted a senior police officer as saying.
On Saturday, Pakistan border guards targeted 10 Indian border posts in the Poonch sector, an Indian army official said. "Our troops retaliated. Heavy firing is going on," he said.
"The Pakistani Army is using automatic weapons to target Indian positions. Firing started at 12.45 p.m. and is still going on (at 2 pm). The Indian Army retaliated and firing exchanges are still going on in the area."
While there was a lull in cross-border firing on Friday, both sides were blaming each other for triggering a crisis on the border.
Pakistan wants to internationalise the Kashmir issue by ratcheting up tensions and keeping alive the 67-year-old dispute while India vowed a strong response to any Pakistani attempt to stir up trouble in the region.
"Pakistan, but they have failed in it. They have failed in infiltrating terrorists - they want to give cover to them by firing at our posts. We gave them a befitting reply," army lieutenant general KH Singh said.