Five soldiers martyred in LoC explosion

–ISPR says incident shows ‘state-sponsored terrorism by India’

RAWALPINDI: At least five Pakistan Army soldiers were martyred and another received injuries in an explosion along the Line of Control in Chamb sector of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), said a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) on Wednesday.

The nature of the blast, however, is yet to be ascertained.

The ISPR said the incident “is evident [sic] of state-sponsored terrorism by India violating bilateral ceasefire agreement and the international rules”.

The personnel martyred in the incident include subedar Muhammad Sadiq, aged 44, resident of village Bandi P/O Jura, tehsil Athmuqam and district Neelam; sepoy Muhammad Tayyab, aged 26, r/o village Surakhi, tehsil and district Khushab; Naik Sher Zaman, aged 36, r/o village Shamashaki, district Karak; Sepoy Zohaib, aged 20, r/o village Nandi Nar Ghamir Manhdala, tehsil Hajira and district Poonch; sepoy Ghulam Qasim, aged 22, r/o village Sahiwal, tehsil Sahiwal and district Sargodha.

LOC AND INDO-PAK TENSIONS:

Things have been relatively calm at the LoC, with sporadic incidents of ceasefire violations. However, the tensions between the two neighbours had touched all-time high since 1971 after a suicide bombing in Pulwama 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.

This is a developing story