An Army officer and a porter were injured Sunday as Pakistan army resorted to heavy mortar shelling and small arms firing on forward posts and villages along the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch and Rajouri districts of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said.
While the colonel-rank officer was injured in Krishna Ghatisector of Poonch district, the 25-year-old porter suffered splinter injurieswhen a mortar shell exploded near him in Keri sector of Rajouri district, theysaid.
Both the injured were evacuated to a hospital and theircondition was stated to be “stable”, the officials said.
Earlier, a defence spokesman said Pakistan violatedceasefire by resorting to unprovoked shelling and firing from across the borderin the two sectors around 11 a.m., prompting the Indian Army to give abefitting response.
The officials said the shelling was intense in both thesectors, causing panic among the people who were asked to stay indoors to avoidany casualty.
The cross-borderfiring stopped around 1.15 p.m. In Krishna Ghati sector, only to resume againaround 3.25 p.m. Till 5.15 p.m., they said.
Army porter Mohammad Mahroof, a resident of Challas village,suffered splinter injuries when a mortar shell exploded near him in Kerisector, the officials said, adding he was given immediate medical aid and waslater evacuated to an Army hospital.
Two residentialhouses were also damaged, while a few cattle also perished in the Pakistanishelling which was still continuing intermittently, the officials said.
They said the casualties suffered by Pakistan in theretaliatory action was not known immediately.
Ending over a fortnight-long lull, Pakistan on Thursdaytargeted Shahpur and Kirni sectors of Poonch followed by firing in Qasba sectorin the same district the next day. Ten people, including four soldiers, have beenkilled and over 50 people injured in Rajouri and Poonch districts since India’sFebruary 26 air strike on a JeM camp inPakistan’s Balakot in response to the Pulwama terror strike that left 40 CRPF personneldead.