Pakistan Violates Ceasefire Along LoC, Indian Forces Return Fire

Pakistani army violated ceasefire along Line of Control (LoC) on Saturday, forcing the Indian side to return fire, after resorting to unprovoked firing along the International Border on the night of Diwali.

The firing along LoC in Poonch district began at 8:30 on Friday night. It caused no injuries on the Indian side but Indian border forces returned fire. The cross-border firing continued for an hour along the LoC at Balakote.

"Pakistan Army violated the ceasefire at Balakote in Poonch district during the night. Pakistan started unprovoked firing at 8.30 p.m. using small arms, mortars and automatics," defence spokesman Colonel Manish Mehta told IANS.

On Thursday, when India celebrated Diwali, Pakistan targeted International Border and on border outposts  in Jammu & Kashmir's Samba, Kathua and Jammu districts.

"Pakistan Rangers resorted to small-arms firing on BoPs along IB in Jammu frontier till 2010 hours yesterday...BSF troops guarding the borderline maintained restraint and did not retaliate," TOI quoted a BSF spokesperson as saying.

Though Indian border forces refrained from retaliating, they also chose not to exchange Diwali sweets with the Pakistani military.

"This Diwali we did not exchange sweets with the Pakistani side following the heightened tension along the International Border," The Economic Times quoted a senior BSF official as saying.

However, Pakistani High Commissioner Abdul Basit and his wife sent Diwali greetings along with boxes full of sweets to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President Pranab Mukherjee and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj.