Even as the intermittent exchange of fire between Pakistani Rangers and BSF personnel along the International Border in the Jammu district stopped on Friday, eerie silence prevailed in the villages affected by the shelling from across the border during the intervening night of October 26 and 27.
Thousands of border dwellers from the Arnia and R S Pura sectors of the Jammu district in Jammu and Kashmir were forced to take shelter at safer places after Pakistani Rangers resorted to unprovoked firing on late Thursday evening.
Families that had fled the border hamlets overnight after the unprovoked firing by Pakistani Rangers have now started returning to their homes.
A Border Security Force (BSF) jawan and a civilian were injured in the cross-border firing targeting five Indian posts along the International Border (IB) on Thursday night. The BSF had effectively retaliated to the firing.
Pakistan Rangers had fired 82 and 120 mm mortar shells and used heavy machine guns, triggering fear among the border dwellers.
Several people in Arnia, Treva, Changia, Suchetgarh, Sai Kalan, Sai Khurd, and Jabowal, deserted their homes and hearths on Thursday night when the unprovoked firing started.
Several families had taken shelter in bunkers, temples, and other safe areas in the border area.
BSF lodges protest with Pak over unprovoked shelling
Hours after Pakistani resorted to unprovoked firing, the Border Security Force (BSF) on Saturday lodged a protest with the Pakistan Rangers.
Reports said that the protest was registered at an hour-long commander-level meeting at the Border Outpost Octroi in Suchetgarh, area of Jammu district.
Quoting official sources, a news agency reported that the meeting, which was attended by seven members each of the BSF and the Pakistan Rangers, was held in a peaceful atmosphere with both sides highlighting the need to maintain peace along the border.
BSF Retaliates to Unprovoked Firing by Pak Rangers in Sector Jammu
— BSF (@BSF_India) October 27, 2023
On the evening of October 26, 2023, at about 2000 hrs, Pakistan Rangers resorted to unprovoked firing along the Indo-Pak International Border in Sector Jammu.
In response, BSF troops immediately retaliated to… pic.twitter.com/va7SlYXKrm
This was the second flag meeting between the two sides in 10 days after two BSF personnel were injured when their post in Arnia came under fire from across the border on October 17.
After the violation of ceasefire violation by Pakistan, the BSF highlighted the issue at a commandant-level flag meeting held at a border outpost (BoP) along the International Border (IB) in the RS Pura sector on October 18.
The BSF also raised the issue of smuggling of narcotics from across the border at the meeting and said that they have pictorial evidence of smugglers who have been killed by the force.
On February 25, 2021, India and Pakistan announced to strictly adhere to a ceasefire along the Line of Control (LoC) and International Border (IB) in J&K.
The director generals of military operations of India and Pakistan reviewed the situation along the Line of Control (Loc) and all other sectors and agreed upon achieving mutually beneficial and sustainable peace along the borders.
