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JCO killed at LoC: Pak denies cross-LoC firing

ANUBHAV MISRI. Dated: 6/7/2013 11:20:04 PM

POONCH, June 7: In the third ceasefire violation in a fortnight, a Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) of army was killed when Pakistani troops opened heavy fire with automatic weapons and rockets on Indian posts along the LoC in Mandi area of Poonch today.
Official sources said that the JCO was hit by a sniper shot fired by Pakistani troops from across the LoC. Pakistani troops of 657 and 644 Mujahid regiments targeted forwards Posts New Bump and Kabsa from their G-Santoor and N-Santoor Posts at 1 PM. They also fired 6-7 RPGs and opened indiscriminate fire with their automatic weapons. The Indian troops also retaliated with equal caliber and exchange of fire continued till 1.45 PM.
The deceased has been identified as JCO Naib Subedar Bachan Singh (Belt number JC531241K) of Uttrakhand presently posted with 3 Garhwal Regiment.
The latest incident comes barely two days after Nawaz Sharif took oath as Pakistan Prime Minister. Sharif had yesterday vowed to 'progressively pursue' normalcy in ties with India while actively seeking solutions to outstanding issues, including Kashmir.
Pakistani troops opened heavy firing with automatic weapons and Rocket-Propelled Grenades (RPGs) on Indian posts along the LoC in Sabjian sub-sector of Poonch at around 1 pm, army spokesperson said.
Indian troops retaliated after the unprovoked firing, he said, adding the exchange of fire was continuing till late in the day. The firing, in which heavy machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades were used, lasted for about an hour.
Army suspects that the firing was aimed at providing a cover to infiltrators trying to sneak in the Indian side.
The entire area has been cordoned off and a search operation has been launched, he said.
Earlier, on May 27, Pakistani troops had pounded Indian posts along the LoC in the same Poonch sector with rockets. A Brigadier and two jawans were injured on May 24, when Pakistani troops opened fire on Indian positions along the LoC in the Tutmari Gali sector in Jammu and Kashmir.
Hours after an Indian soldier was killed in a rocket attack across the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir, the Pakistan army on Friday said its troops had not carried out any firing across the ceasefire line.
The "Pakistan military spokesperson has categorically denied the allegation of cross-LoC fire, saying that no Pakistani troops carried out any firing across the LoC on Indian positions", the army said in a statement posted on Twitter.
State-run Radio Pakistan quoted a military spokesperson as denying the allegation of cross-LoC firing. A Junior Commissioned Officer of the Indian Army was killed in heavy firing with automatic weapons and rockets from the Pakistani side of the LoC in Poonch sector.
This was the third ceasefire violation in a fortnight. A rocket hit a post on the LoC and killed Naib Subedar Bachan Singh.
Indian troops retaliated after the unprovoked firing. The incident came barely two days after Nawaz Sharif took over as Pakistan prime minister and vowed to "progressively pursue" normalcy in ties with India while actively seeking solutions to outstanding issues, including Kashmir.
On May 27, Pakistani troops had targeted Indian posts along the LoC in the Poonch sector with rockets. A brigadier and two soldiers were injured on May 24, when Pakistani troops fired at Indian positions along the LoC in Tutmari Gali sector.