Army Jawan Killed in Ceasefire Violation by Pak in J&K’s Poonch

Hari Waker was wounded on Saturday, 23 March and was moved to the hospital where he succumbed to his injuries

The Jawan had received injuries on Saturday, 23 March, during a confrontation and succumbed to his injuries after being shifted to the Army Hospital.

(Photo: Reuters)

An Army personnel was killed on Sunday, 24 March after he was injured in firing by Pakistani troops along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district, officials said.

They said the cross-border firing started in Shahpur and Kerni areas of Poonch around 5:30 pm on Saturday, 23 March and it continued intermittently through the night.

Hari Waker, the jawan who lost his life, was a resident of Rajasthan. He was critically injured on Saturday, 23 March at around 4 am and was shifted to the Army Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries on Sunday, 24 March, news agency ANI reported.

The Indian Army retaliated strongly but the casualties suffered by Pakistan were not known immediately, officials said. They added that Pakistani troops used mortars and small arms to target forward posts and villages.

A wreath laying ceremony was held in northern Army headquarters at Udhampur to pay tribute to him, the officials said, adding that his mortal remains were transported in a service aircraft from Udhampur to Jaipur.

They said he succumbed to his injuries, taking the number of Army personnel killed in the last four days to two.

On Thursday, 24-year-old rifleman Yash Paul lost his life in unprovoked firing by the Pakistan Army, along the LoC in Sunderbani sector of Rajouri district.

Skirmishes Along Border Intensify

There has been a spurt in border skirmishes after India's air strike on a Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terror camp in Pakistan's Balakot on 26 February in response to the 14 February Pulwama attack that killed 40 CRPF personnel.

According to Lt Col Anand, Pakistan initiated unprovoked ceasefire violation by shelling mortars and the firing of small arms along LoC in Nowshera sector of Rajouri district at around 11:50 am.

Four civilians, including three members of a family, have been killed, and several injured, as Pakistan, since then, has targeted dozens of villages in over 125 ceasefire violations along the LoC. 

The year 2018 witnessed the highest number of ceasefire violations – 2,936 – by Pakistani troops in the last 15 years along the Indo-Pak border.

Pakistan continues to violate the 2003 ceasefire agreement with India despite repeated calls for restraint and adherence to the pact during flag meetings between the two sides.

Ceasefire Violation in J&K’s Nowshera Sector

Another ceasefire violation by Pakistan was reported along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir’s Nowshera sector at 11:50 am on Sunday, 24 March. More details about the encounter are awaited.

(With inputs from ANI and PTI)