Islamabad: Pakistan's army said four of its soldiers drowned in a river in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) after their vehicle was hit by shelling by Indian troops and plunged into the river Neelum.
An official statement released by Pakistan Army on Sunday said the military vehicle was hit near Athmuqam by “unprovoked” Indian fire from across the Line of Control (LoC). It said that the body of one of the drowned soldiers has been found and the search is on for the remaining three. Pakistan's military said it had responded to the ceasefire violation by firing at Indian soldiers.
While Indian Army has not officially confirmed the attack, sources said it was carried out to avenge the death of soldiers who have been killed in repeated ceasefire violations by the Pakistan army in the last one week.
Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif strongly condemned Indian forces' firing on Pakistan Army jeep at Neelum Valley. “The Prime Minister has expressed deep grief and condolences with bereaved families of the martyred personnel. The Prime Minister has praised the prompt response by Pakistan Army in thwarting the attack,” read tweets from the official account of Sharif’s party PML(N).
On Saturday, an Indian Army jawan was killed in a ceasefire violation by the Pakistani troops along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri sector. Lance Naik Mohammed Naseer was hit during the firing and shelling by the Pakistani troops on the Indian forward posts, an army spokesperson had said.
On July 12, two jawans were killed in sniper fire by the Pakistani Army in Keran sector of north Kashmir. Earlier on July 8, two civilians were killed and some others injured when Pakistani Army violated ceasefire violation and resorted to mortar shelling and firing of small and automatic weapons targeting forward posts and hamlets along the LoC in the Poonch district. The deceased were Sepoy Mohmmad Shaukat of Territorial Army, who was visiting home on leave, and his wife Safia Bi.
(With inputs from agencies)
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