Soldier Martyred as Pakistan Violates Ceasefire in J&K's Nowshera District

Jammu: An army jawan martyred as Pakistani troops again violated the ceasefire along the Line of Control in Rajouri and Poonch district on Sunday.

A senior police official said the jawan, posted in a forward area in Nowshera sector of Rajouri district, was martyred when he was hit by a bullet from across the border in the early hours.

Further details are awaited.

He said Pakistani troops also fired indiscriminately in Digwar sector of nearby Poonch district.

The firing from across the border started around 1 am and continued till 5.30 am, the official said.

Amid the spurt in ceasefire violations by Pakistan, Army Chief General Bipin Rawat on Saturday reviewed the operational preparedness of the force and the prevailing security situation in Jammu and Kashmir.

The Army Chief also visited forward posts along the LoC and interacted with soldiers in Rajouri sector, where an Army Major and three jawans were killed by Pakistani troops on December 23.

Jammu and Kashmir had witnessed a total of 881 ceasefire violations this year, highest in the past seven years, along with the LoC and the International Border resulting in the death of 34 people.

According to officials, Pakistan has violated the ceasefire along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir 771 times till December 10, and 110 times along the IB till November-end.

In these incidents of firing from across the border, 30 people -- 14 Army personnel, 12 civilians and four BSF personnel -- were killed.

The truce between India and Pakistan along the International Border, the Line of Control and the Actual Ground Position Line in Jammu and Kashmir came into force in November 2003.

India shares a 3,323-km-long border with Pakistan of which 221 km of the IB and 740 km of the LoC fall in Jammu and Kashmir.

In 2016, there were 449 incidents of ceasefire violations in which 13 civilians and 13 government forces personnel were killed and 83 civilians and 99 security personnel were injured.

In 2014, there were 583 incidents of ceasefire violation in which 14 civilians and three security personnel were killed and 101 civilians and 28 security personnel were injured.

In 2015, the number of ceasefire violations were 405; 347 in 2013, 114 in 2012, 62 in 2011 and 70 in 2010.