Five civilians were killed in ceasefire violation by Pakistan in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch
Five members of a family were killed in heavy shelling by Pakistani forces this morning near the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district, resulting in strong retaliation by Indian troops.
Choudhary Mohammad Ramzan, his wife and three minor sons were killed as shells hit their house in Devta Dhar village in Balakote sector. His two daughters are injured.
The shelling started around 7:45 am, Army spokesperson Lt Col Devender Anand said, adding that Pakistani troops were "specifically targeting civilian areas".
"This is highly condemnable. Pakistan is doing this out of frustration as it is suffering heavy losses in the hands of security forces. The Modi government has allowed unprecedented professional freedom to security forces to to respond in a manner they deem fit," Union Minister of State (MoS) in the Prime Minister's Office Jitendra Singh said.
Last week, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that the armed forces were retaliating appropriately to ceasefire violations by the Pakistani army "wherever necessary", adding that the defences along the border were being periodically fortified to withstand any attack.
In a reply in Rajya Sabha to questions related to the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir, Ms Sitharaman said that 209 incidents of ceasefire violations by the Pakistani army were reported along the Line of Control in January, while the number was 142 in the first 12 days of February. A total of 860 incidents of ceasefire violations took place last year.
Last month, four Army personnel, including a 22-year-old Captain, were killed in Pakistani shelling along the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch and Rajouri districts. Army Vice Chief Sarath Chand had said that India would continue to give a "befitting reply" and its "action will speak for itself".
(With inputs from Agencies)