The Hindu : Front Page : Pakistan troops fire on border post

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Thursday, May 15, 2008
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Pakistan troops fire on border post

Srinagar/Islamabad: In the first violation of the five-year-old ceasefire, Pakistan troops opened unprovoked fire on an Indian border post in Tangdhar region in north Kashmir on Tuesday night but no casualty was reported.

Using heavy machine guns and heavy mortars, Pakistani troops targeted a forward Indian post in the Tangdhar area with over 50 to 60 rounds, sources said.

“This was not a cover firing for any attempt to push in terrorists. It was targeted straight at the forward Indian post,” the sources said.

About 10 mortar bombs fired at the post fell well short of it and there were no casualties.

“Major violation”

It was a major violation of the ceasefire by the troops on the Line of Control which has been in force since December 2003, Army sources in New Delhi said.

The firing by Pakistani troops comes close on the heels of Pakistani Rangers breaching the ceasefire on the International Border in the Samba sector earlier this week.

The Army has proposed a flag meeting with its Pakistani counterparts to take up the issue of unprovoked firing.

Border Security Force personnel and Pakistani Rangers traded heavy fire near the International Border in the Samba sector a few days back. The Rangers gave cover fire to a group of terrorists.

Pakistan denial

In Islamabad, Pakistan denied its troops had fired on the Indian border post.

“Indian military authorities have been informed that no incident of firing from (the Pakistan side) side of the LoC took place as claimed,” a spokesman of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence said. — PTI

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