MUZAFFARABAD: Two Pakistan Army officers and a civilian were injured along the Line of Control (LoC) in Azad Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday after Indian troops resorted to ceasefire violation “without any provocation”, ­officials said.

In a tweet, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor said the Indian army fired mortar rounds on a Pakistani post during unprovoked firing in Rakhchikri sector. “Pakistani troops effectively responded to Indian firing and during exchange of fire two Pakistan Army officers got injured,” he added.

Rakhchikri sector is located in Haveli district but part of its stretches out to neighbouring Poonch district.

The ISPR chief did not mention the names and ranks of the wounded officers, but local sources told Dawn that a major and a captain had suffered injuries.

Separately, in the same sector, 35-year-old Lal Jan, wife of Mohammad Javed, was injured in Kairni Gharbi village after splinters from a mortar shell pierced her abdomen, said Imran Kiani, a police officer based in Forward Kahuta, the district headquarters of Haveli.

He said Indian troops started firing in Rakhchikri sector at about 3pm during which they lobbed mortar shells at civilian areas, besides targeting Pakistan Army post(s).

The heavily militarised LoC has been frequently witnessing ceasefire violations by Indian troops in a serious breach of the Nov 2003 truce between the two sides, causing mostly civilian casualties.

On Friday, two civilians were wounded in Seri sector of Kotli district due to unprovoked Indian shelling.

Published in Dawn, December 2nd, 2019