Amid tension along the Line of Control in Rajouri and Poonch sectors of Jammu province, the Indian Army didn’t exchange ‘traditional’ sweets with their counterparts from the Pakistan Army.
Instead Pakistan choose to target civilian pockets in Mankote area of Poonch around the same time when local residents were preparing to attend Republic day celebrations in their area. As the firing continued unabated Indian army too retaliated effectively and strongly using similar calibre of weapons.
According to Ministry of Defence Spokesman in Jammu, Lt Col Devendra Anand,” Pakistan Army initiated ‘unprovoked’ ceasefire violation using small arms fire and shelling with mortars in Mankote area of Mendhar.
Following fresh escalation the Indian Army officers decided against exchanging sweet packets at the Chakan-da-bagh crossing point in Poonch.
In Jammu, jawans of Border Security Force opened fire to prevent an intruder from breaching the barbed wire fence along the International border in Samba sector.
Initially, BSF authorities in the area assumed the intruder may have succumbed due to multiple bullet injuries. But to their surprise when they tried to retrieve his body they realised he was still alive.
The BSF authorities, later shifted him to the nearby hospital and after receiving first aid Pakistani intruder was shifted to Government Medical college hospital in Jammu.
The intruder was identified as Farooq Ahmad, resident of Shakargarh area in Pakistan.
The officials said nothing incriminating was recovered from the possession of the intruder, who seemed to be “high on drugs.”