Searches carried out near IB after info on suspected movement of armed persons
Jammu, Feb 5:
Pakistani troops Tuesday violated ceasefire in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir by firing two rounds of rocket launchers towards an Army camp along the Line of Control (LoC) in the Krishna Ghati sector, an army officer said. Indian troops did not retaliate to the “deliberate provocation” to avoid civilian casualties across the border, said the officer, asking not to be named. He said the rockets aimed at the army camp in Jhulas area of the Krishna Ghati sector were fired around 10.30 am but did not cause any damage. “The firing of rockets was a deliberate attempt to instigate strong reaction from the Indian Army since Pakistan is observing Kashmir solidarity day. There was a possibility of civilian casualties in view of the public rallies across the border,” he said. The latest ceasefire violation ended several days of lull in the firing from across the border. Since the beginning of the new year, Pakistani troops have been regularly violating the ceasefire especially along the LoC in Jammu division. A few incidents of ceasefire violations were also witnessed along the International Border in January. On January 15, Assistant Commandant Vinay Prasad of BSF was killed when he was hit by a Pakistani sniper from across the IB. An Army porter lost his life along the LoC in Rajouri district on January 11. The same day two army personnel including a major were killed in an improvised explosive device (IED) attack along the LoC in Naushera sector of Rajouri. The year 2018 had witnessed the highest number (2,936) of ceasefire violations by Pakistani troops in the last 15 years along the Indo-Pak border. Meanwhile, Security Forces conducted an overnight search operation near the International Border in Jammu and Kashmir’s Samba district following information about movement of three armed persons, a police official said Tuesday. The information about the movement of the suspected persons in the Manohar Gopala area was received around 2130 hours Monday, the official said. Immediately, a joint search operation was launched by the army and the police as terrorists, in the past, had used the route to sneak into the state from across the border, he said. The official said security forces conducted a thorough search of the entire area along with adjoining villages till 0800 hours Tuesday but nothing could be found. Earlier on January 29, a two-day search operation was conducted by the security forces in Basantar in Ramgarh sector of the district following reports of suspected movement. The searches yielded nothing and were carried out just days ahead of a scheduled rally of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Vijaypur in the district on February 3. The forces are alert and are maintaining tight vigil along the IB and in the hinterland to foil the nefarious designs of the terrorists, the official said.
