A jawan of the Territorial Army currently on leave and his wife were both killed while three children received splinter injuries in a fresh flare up of hostilities along the line of control in Poonch early Saturday morning.
The family of the deceased soldier identified as Showket Ali was breaking bread sitting together inside their kitchen when one of the mortar shell punctured their kitchen top before exploding.
Upping the ante India went ahead and lodged strong protest with Pakistan over death of two Indian civilians in ceasefire violations by its troops. Pakistan Foreign Office had earlier released a statement over the summoning of Indian Deputy High Commissioner over alleged ceasefire violations across loC.
Indian Foreign Office also clarified that the ceasefire violations were initiated by Pak troops in Poonch and Krishnaghatti sectors today and the Indian forces only responded appropriately.
A strong protest was also lodged over the death of two Indian civilians in Saturday's ceasefire violations by Pakistan troops.
According to ground reports Pakistan Army violated ceasefire agreement by targeting forward Indian posts and civilian areas in Gulpur, Poonch around 6.30 am.
As Indian Army started retaliating strongly and effectively Pakistan Army further intensified shelling on the civilian pockets using 120 mm mortars. Several civilian houses and one middle school building in Faqirdarra was hit by mortar shells triggering panic in the area.The firing continued for over five hours in the area and stopped around 12.00 pm.
The Territorial Army jawan posted in Palma area of Rajouri was on leave these days. His house was located close to the line of control opposite Pakistan's forward post. His wife identified as Safia Bi succumbed due to her fatal injuries before reaching hospital while three minor children, including daughter of one of their neighbour was rushed to the district hospital in Poonch by the local police amid heavy mortar shelling.
In strong retaliatory fire Indian Army is learnt to have inflicted heavy damages on the Pakistan side of the line of control.
A Jammu based Defence Spokesperson said, "The Pakistani army initiated unprovoked and indiscriminate firing from small arms, automatic weapons and mortars on Indian Army posts along the line of Control (loC) in Poonch sector from 0630 hours. The Indian troops retaliated effectively, Defence Spokesman added.
There have been 23 incidents of ceasefire violation, an attack by Pakistan special forces team and two infiltration bids in June, in which four people including three jawans were killed and 12 were injured.
On June 29, two Indian Army jawans were injured when the Pakistani troops fired from small arms and shelled mortars on forward posts and civilian areas along the loC in Poonch district.
Even on Eid-ul Fitr on June 26, the Pakistani Army fired small arms and automatic weapons and shelled mortars along the loC in the Bhimbher Gali sector of a Rajouri.
On June 22, a Pakistani special forces team sneaked across the loC into Poonch under cover of heavy fire and killed two jawans — 34-year-old Naik Jadhav Sandip of Aurangabad and 24-year-old Sepoy Mane Savan Balku of Kolhapur.
District Development commissioner, Poonch Tariq Ahmed Zargar along with SSP Poonch Rajiv Pandey and other senior civil and police officers visited the native village of the deceased soldier in Chunghan, Mendhar and handed over cash relief to the next of kin of the deceased.