Two Border Security Force personnel were killed on Sunday after Pakistani rangers allegedly resorted to unprovoked and indiscriminate firing along the International Border in the Pragwal area of Akhnoor sector, PTI reported.
The heavy firing and mortar shelling injured 13 people and forced civilians to abandon their homes and move to safer places, an official said.
A senior officer of the security force said the two personnel, Constable Vijay Kumar Pandey and Assistant Sub-Inspector Satya Narayan Yadav, were critically injured in the firing, which began early on Sunday morning. They succumbed to their injuries while undergoing treatment at a hospital.
Cross-border firing was on, the official told PTI.
This incident came just a week after Indian and Pakistani armies agreed to implement the ceasefire understanding of 2003 “in letter and spirit”, and ensure that the agreement is not violated any longer. The two sides agreed to exercise restraint in case of any conflict, and resolve the matter using existing mechanisms of hotline contacts and border flag meetings at the level of local commanders.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti called the incident unfortunate. “It is unfortunate that this has happened even after Directors-General of Military Operations held dialogue. People on both sides of the border are dying,” she told ANI. “The DGMOs should hold dialogue again. This bloodshed must be brought to an end.”
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