Pakistan violates ceasefire on eve of talks

On the day a Pakistan Rangers delegation arrived in Delhi to talk peace, its troops violated the ceasefire again and fired at the BSF soldiers injuring two of them, including an officer.

The incident took place in the Nowgam sector of the Line of Control (LoC) in north Kashmir's Kupwara district at 11am on Wednesday, when Pakistani troops sniped at the BSF jawans when they were on a routine patrol from Hira left post to Hira right post in the sector.

Two BSF soldiers, including a sub-inspector were injured in the firing. The injured personnel have been identified as sub inspector Jawahar Lal Yadav and constable Rahul Yadav of 119 Battalion.

"There was a ceasefire violation (from Pakistan side) in which two of our boys got injured. Both the injured troopers are stable. It was a sniper attack," said a BSF spokesman at Srinagar.

BSF soldiers immediately swung into action and retaliated to silence the Pakistani guns. Intermittent firing between the two sides was continuing.

The fresh ceasefire violation came just hours before a 16-member Pakistan delegation led by the Rangers Director General (Punjab) Major General Umar Farooq Burki landed in India to hold talks with their BSF counterparts (Pakistan Rangers team in Delhi, peace talks begin).

Director General of BSF DK Pathak will lead the 23-member Indian delegation that will discuss unprovoked cross-border shelling and infiltration bids from the other side of the International Border (IB) in Jammu.

The incident occurred 15 days after Pakistani army killed Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) of the army when he was guarding his picket at the Badal post along the LoC in the same sector.