Srinagar: Barely 24 hours after Indian Army Chief General Bipin Rawat visited forward posts in Rajouri district and exhorted the troops to “remain vigilant and ever-ready”, India and Pakistan armies exchanged fire along Line of Control in the border district of Poonch and Rajouri district, reports said.

According to the sources, the armies of both countries started firing mortars, automatics and small arms fire at forward positions in Poonch district’s Shahpur sector around 2 pm on Friday. The firing was going on when the last reports came in.

“We retaliated strongly and effectively. No damage or casualty has been reported from our side,” a defense ministry official said.

Similarly, in Baba Khori and Kalsian areas of Nowshera in Rajouri district’s, the armies of India and Pakistan exchanged fire since morning.  However, there has been no damage or casualty on any side.

Significantly, only on the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday, Indian troops claimed that Pakistani Rangers had suffered heavy casualties and loss of their three mortar posts in Sialkote sector following retaliatory fire by Border Security Force.

The latter had retaliated with small arms firing by Rangers in which its head constable had died along the international border in Samba district on Wednesday.

Earlier on Monday, an Army jawan was killed along the Line of Control (LoC) in Nowshera sector’s Rumli Dhara area of Rajouri district as armies of both countries exchanged firing during wee hours of Sunday last.

The deceased soldier was identified as Jagsir Singh of 19 Punjab. The firing from across the border started around 3.50 am and lasted for nearly five minutes, sources said.

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