STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: Pakistan rangers on Sunday opened fire on Indian border posts after objecting to construction by Border Security Force in Samba sector in Jammu and Kashmir.
The Border Security Force retaliated to the ceasefire violations. No casualties have been reported so far.
The Pakistani Rangers fired around 25 rounds of small arms on Indian positions along the international Border in Samba sector, a senior BSF officer said.
“The Pakistan Rangers resorted to small arm fire at around 11:00 AM on Sunday and the firing lasted till 12:45 PM. We also retaliated. However, no causality has taken place,” the officer added.
Today’s ceasefire violation came after the Pakistani rangers objected to the ongoing construction work on the Indian side.
To improve the living condition of BSF personnel deployed on the International Border, the BSF has undertaken construction work to upgrade the bathrooms and other facilities for the personnel to which the Pakistani side has regularly been objecting.
“We are constructing a boundary wall in the area inside our territory. This is part of the construction project to provide better living condition to our forces, to which Pakistani side has regularly raised objection,” a senior BSF official said.
He said that a party of the Pakistani Rangers asked the Indian side to stop the construction work to which the BSF refused.
“At 10:30 they (Pakistani Rangers) demanded that we stop construction work on our side, to which we refused. They threatened to fire at us if we don’t stop the work. We categorically told them that we would retaliate if they fire.
After they returned to their position, they fired at us at around 11 AM, to which our side retaliated,” the officer said.
The officer said that the firing lasted for more than 90 minutes and has now stopped.
“The latest ceasefire violation was meant to scare the construction workers. They (Pakistani side) have in the past also indulged in such violations to stop us from improving the living conditions of the BSF personnel,” the officer said.
The incident comes on the heels of ceasefire violation on November 28 along the International Border in the Arnia sector. (PTI)
