The Indian and Pakistani Army on Wednesday traded heavy fire on the Line of Control (LoC) in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir forcing the district administration to close down the schools near the border.

According to the Defence Ministry spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Manish Mehta, Pakistani Army targeted Indian positions on the LoC in the Nowshera sector on Wednesday morning. However, no casualties have been reported so far.

“Using small arms, automatics, and mortars, they started unprovoked shelling and firing at 10.30 a.m. It is still going on. Indian troops are retaliating strongly and effectively,” Mehta said.

Pertinently, Jammu and Kashmir Police also confirmed about the skirmish at the LoC in Jammu division.

“Today Pak resorted to unprovoked border firing with heavy/light weapons at Kalal & Baba Khouri post of Nowshera Sector,” Jammu and Kashmir police wrote on Twitter.

 Meanwhile, District Authorities in Rajouri have closed some educational institutions located near the Line of Control (LoC) in Nowshera area of the district in view of continuous border shelling.

 The armies of India and Pakistan exchanged heavy fire and shelling in Kalal area of Nowshera today morning. Reports said that some shells fired from across the border landed in civilian areas.

 “As a precautionary measure, some educational institutions located near LoC in Kalal, Kalsian and  Bhawani have been closed for today,” a district official was quoted by the media here.

Nearly six schools were closed near the LoC in the wake of cross-border firing as a preventive measure.

“Nine villages were affected by the intermittent ceasefire violation which continued till afternoon. All the schools along LoC in Nowshera were closed as a precautionary measeure,” District Development Commissioner Shahid Iqbal Chaudhary, told Kashmir Vision.

Earlier on August 2, at least five civilians were injured as Pakistan resorted to unprovoked firing and targeted forward Army posts and villages in Rajouri.

Earlier, on Monday four civilian including a woman were injured at Bandi Chechian and Qasba areas of Poonch in mortar shelling from across the border. The Indian and Pakistani counterparts held a flag meeting in Chakan da Bagh in Poonch last week and agreed to maintain peace at the border.

Amid the border skirmish, the cross LoC travel and trade on Poonch-Rawalkote roads remains suspended for the last two months.

According to the reports, since May 1 this year, nine people including four soldiers have been killed and 12 others injured in border skirmish on the Indian side of the border. Last week, a junior commissioned officer and a woman were killed in Pakistani shelling in Krishna Ghati and Mendhar sectors respectively.

Pertinently, Pakistani officials on 28 August claimed that the Indian troops resorted to the unprovoked firing and mortar shelling which killed three members of a family in Fatehpur area in Haveli district in Pakistan-administered part of Kashmir. Reports said that two members of the family were also injured in the firing by the Indian side.

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