Pakistani troops fire at Indian posts on LoC

Pakistani troops fired at Indian posts on the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district late on Thursday night, an Army spokesperson said on Friday.

"There has been a ceasefire violation by Pakistan troops on the LoC in the Krishna Ghati sector in Poonch without any provocation from Indian side Thursday night," the Army spokesperson said.

The Pakistan firing came hours after the Indian Army killed an infiltrator in Jhangar sector in Rajouri district yesterday. "Pakistani troops opened unprovoked firing with small arms and light and heavy automatic weapons. The firing lasted for more than one hour," he said.

The Indian troops "exercised utmost restraint" and response to the Pakistan fire, though controlled, was effective. There was no casualty in the Indian side, added the army official.

Ties between the two neighbours have been strained ever since the 6 January killing of a Pakistani soldier allegedly in firing by Indian troops. Two days later, Pakistani soldiers brutally killed two Indian soldiers, beheading one of them, near the LoC that divides Jammu and Kashmir between India and Pakistan.

Pakistan has so far violated ceasefire more than three times since the flag meeting held at Chakan-da-Bagh in Poonch on January 14 and was attended by Brigadier level officers from India and Pakistan.

Meanwhile, a militant killed near the Line of Control (LoC) in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday while trying to infiltrate into India has been identified as a Pakistani soldier, army sources said.

According to the sources Friday, the killed militant had been identified as Mohammad Ikhlaq, a Pakistani soldier of 60 Punjab regiment. They said communication has been established with the Pakistani side and "the body would be handed over today (Friday) itself".

According to an army spokesman Thursday, a group of militants was crossing the LoC into the Indian side in Jhangar sector of Rajouri, about 170 km north of Jammu.

Indian troops challenged them on noticing their movement which led to a fire-fight between the two sides, leaving one militant dead and an Indian soldier injured.

According to the sources, there were only two infiltrators and they were sighted about 400 metres inside Indian territory in Jhangar area.

Pakistani soldiers had Jan 8 intruded into the Indian side in Mendhar areas of Poonch district, killed two Indian soldiers and beheaded them. This resulted in escalation of tension between the two countries, but the situation eased after a flag meeting between the two sides Jan 14. u00a0