JAMMU: Indian troops returned intermittent firing of Pakistani troops at Bagliardara, Sokar, Titwal and Dewgarh sectors in border district of Poonch near here in the northernmost state of Jammu and Kashmir Thursday.
Defence sources here said causalities on either side were being ascertained.
Official sources said “high tension” had build up in Poonch along the Indo Pak border during the past three days following unprovoked exchange of fire between the two sides.
Pakistani troops opened fire when Indian security forces objected to digging of trenches by Pakistanis at a number of places in the man’s land. Indian forces returned the fire.
The sources said over eight Pakistani soldiers and one Indian was killed in the firing.
This was the “heaviest exchange” of fire this year, the sources said. Pakistani troops frequently exchanged fire with Indian security forces to keep the line of actual control (LAC) “alive”. Last year Pakistani troops fired about 45,000 rounds towards the Indian side.
Meanwhile, the inspector general, border security force, Jammu PC Dogra, has said that the situation on the Indian side was “normal” The BSF which man’s most of the frontier posts in the state, had been alerted to face any “untoward incident” he said.
Article extracted from this publication >> April 20, 1990
