RAWALPINDI: Pakistan Army retaliated to Indian forces’ unprovoked firing across the Line of Control (LoC) after six Pakistani civilians, including a woman and children, were injured, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Friday.
The ISPR said Indian Army troops resorted to unprovoked fire in Chirikot sector along LoC targeting civil population. The injured civilians comprise a man, woman and four children who were immediately admitted to a hospital.
The wounded Pakistani civilians were identified as: Shabnam, 35; Nisah, 14; Kashan, 13; Asifa, 10 and Faizan, 6 – the residents of Serian village. And Shahid Hussain, 28, got injured in Chafar village.
The Pakistan Army said it effectively retaliated to cross-border Indian firing and targeted Indian posts undertaking the fire in which five Indian soldiers were killed apart from several injured.
LOC HEATS UP AFTER BRIEF CALM:
On April 2, at least seven Indian soldiers were killed and a dozen injured after Pakistan Army responded to the cross-border firing that had left three Pakistan soldiers dead and one injured on Tuesday.
An 18-year-old was martyred and three women were also injured. The injured were shifted to a nearby health facility.
Relative calm along the Line of Control (LoC) over the past week proved to be shortlived after India troops resorted to unprovoked firing in Rawalakot sector’s Rakhchakri area.
The martyred soldiers were identified as Lance Havaldar Aziz Azizulla from Noshero Feroz, Subedar Mohammad Riaz of Jhang and Sepoy Shahid Mansib, a resident of Abbottabad, said a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).
Indian forces suffered heavy damage during the cross border firing, resulting in the destruction of their four check posts, as a result of the effective response from the army, said ISPR.
Further, Foreign Office Spokesperson Dr Faisal also tweeted about the incident stating, “Indian troops resorted to unprovoked fire in Rakhchakri, Rawalakot Sector along Line of Control( LOC). Subedar Muhammad Riaz, Lance Havaldar Aziz Ullah, and Sepoy Shahid Mansib embraced Shahadat, while one soldier got injured. Pakistan army responded effectively.”
INDO-PAK TENSIONS:
The tension between Pakistan and India rose significantly after Pulwama suicide bombing that killed at least 44 Indian paramilitary troops. As a result, tensions at LoC too heated up, followed by two days of intense firing and shelling across the line.
The risk of conflict rose dramatically when India launched an air strike on what it said was a militant training base inside Pakistani territory near Balakot. The attack targeted the Jaish-e-Mohammad militants, a group that claimed credit for the suicide attack.
Subsequently, Pakistan Air Force shot down two Indian jets the next day, as they strayed into Pakistani airspace chasing Pakistani jets, returning after carrying out airstrikes in occupied Kashmir. As a result, an Indian pilot was captured, which was later returned, as a peace gesture by the Pakistani government. Since then and with the intervention of the global powers, Pakistan and India are significantly cooled down.
Pakistan and India have fought three wars since independence from British colonial rule in 1947, two over Kashmir, and went to the brink of a fourth in 2002 after a Pakistani militant attack on India’s parliament.
