At least two children, a 10-year-old boy and a girl, have been reportedly killed and five civilians have been injured during a series of ceasefire violations by Pakistan in Jammu and Kashmir's Kerni, Kasaba and Digwar sectors.
The boy has been identified as Israr Ahmad, a resident of Kerni sector, and the girl, Yasmeen Akhtar, reportedly died in Digwar.
Three of the injured are said to be in a critical condition, according to reports.
Police said that Pakistan troops began firing at border villages and forward posts along the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonj district of Jammu and Kashmir.
Reports state that the Indian army fired back, and there was an exchange of gunfire between the two sides.
Pakistan troops reportedly targeted dozens of villages and posts in Shahpur, Kirni and Qasba sector in the early hours of Monday, which resulted in two casualties. All the injured civilians have been taken to the hospital.
Reacting to these ceasefire violations, Jammu and Kashmir Deputy CM Nirmal Singh has said, "Pakistan is a country of cowards. On the one hand, they show white flags while on the other, they target civilians."
The heavy cross-border firing and mortar shelling from Pakistan's side began around 650 hours, triggering panic among border residents.
There has been a sharp increase in the number of ceasefire violations this year. Till August 1, there were 285 violations by Pakistani forces while in 2016, the number was significantly less at 228 for the entire year, according to army figures.
