Hours after flag meet, Pak pounds Akhnoor posts

ON MONDAY, A FLAG MEET WAS HELD AT OCTROI POST IN SUCHETGARH AREA OF R S PURA SECTOR BETWEEN THE BSF AND THE RANGERS

JAMMU:COUPLE of hours after the commander level flag meeting in RS Pura sector, Pakistan fired few mortars at the Indian posts in Pargwal sector of Akhnoor late Monday.

The meeting was held to restore truce deal on the International Border.

SP Rural Shivdeep Singh said, “At around 7:30pm on Monday, two mortar shells were fired by the Rangers in Pargwal sector. No loss of life or damage was reported.”

Pargwal police post in-charge Brij Lal Sharma said the Border Security Force (BSF) did not retaliate to the Pak shells.

On Monday, a sector-commander level flag meeting was held at Octroi post in Suchetgarh area of RS Pura sector between the BSF and the Rangers for two hours.

The meeting was held on Pakistan’s request and both the sides agreed to respect the ceasefire agreement in letter and spirit.

Barely four days after DGMO of Pakistan called up his Indian counterpart for restoring ceasefire agreement on May 29, Pak Rangers killed two BSF men including an officer in sniper fire in Jammu on the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday, triggering heavy gun fight between the two countries in Pargwal sector of Akhnoor on early Sunday morning.

The heavy shelling by Pakistan in Pargwal sector had left 12 villagers injured.

Earlier, nine-day long intense shelling by Pakistan from May 15 to May 23 left 12 people dead and 56 others injured, besides displacing over one lakh people from Jammu, Samba and Kathua districts.

Notably, on May 20 Pakistan Rangers, who had initiated unprovoked fire from May 15 to May 23, had contacted BSF Jammu over hotline and had pleaded the latter to stop firing.

Amid flare up in grenade attacks in Kashmir and tense borders, home minister Rajnath Singh is visiting Kashmir on June 7 and 8 to review security, especially in light of the annual Amarnath Yatra pilgrimage that begins on June 28.

Pakistan has violated the ceasefire along the LOC and the IB close to 1,100 times this year, resulting in the death of over 35 people.