Srinagar: Pakistani troops violated border ceasefire for the second time in a week when they fired rockets at Indian positions in Makwal-Chicken Neck area of the international border, injuring two Border Security Force (BSF) personnel and damaging an equal number of thermal detectors.
The firing, BSF sources said, was aimed at pushing militants into Jammu and Kashmir to thwart the assembly elections starting November 17. However, timely action by the troops foiled the bid.
K Srinivasan, deputy inspector general of BSF (Delhi headquarters), said a rocket was fired at the Durga post in Chicken Neck sector on Monday night, injuring two jawans and damaging two thermal detectors used to check infiltration.
"Our troops retaliated and the exchange of firing continued for half-an-hour. After that our naka parties carried out a search. The damage to the border fencing was not much and it seems the rocket was fired from a distance," he said, adding, "We will strongly protest the violation (by Pakistan Rangers)."
This is the second border ceasefire violation in Jammu since December 27, when Pakistani troops used small and medium arms to target Indian posts in Sabzian area along the line of control in Poonch sector of Jammu.
On September 27, Pakistan Rangers sprayed bullets and grenades on the BSF outpost at Chak Phagwari in Pargwal sector in a bid to push a group of militants into India. However, alert jawans of 26 battalion of BSF thwarted the bid.
In August, a group of militants cut open the border fence and crossed into Jammu from Kanuchak. After being spotted, they hid in a house at Chinore and took its residents hostage, before special troops killed all three ultras and rescued the hostages.
Around 35 ceasefire violations have been recorded this year so far on both the line of control and international border. The border ceasefire had come in force on November 26, 2003.
