3 dead as Pakistan resorts to unprovoked shelling in Kupwara; civilian areas targetted

Three civilians, including an eight-year-old boy, lost their lives as Pakistan forces resorted to unprovoked firing on Indian Army outposts and civilian areas along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara district on Sunday. The Pakistan forces are learnt to have begun the ceasefire violations in the district by targetting posts in Tangdhar and Karnah sectors, prompting a strong response from the Indian forces.

Sources say that the civilian lives were lost after many of Pakistan's shells landed in villages on the Indian side. The real extent of damage was still being ascertained at the time of writing this report.

Earlier in the day, Pakistani forces opened indiscriminate firing and shelling in the Qasba and Kirni sectors of the Poonch district, which had also prompted a strong response from the Indian forces.

The ceasefire violations by the Pakistan Army comes after Indian forces targetted Pakistan terror launchpads along the LoC in Uri and Keran sectors of the state on April 10. A defence spokesperson had said at the time that Indian Army's immediate action was in response to ceasefire violations by Pakistan forces in Uri and Keran sectors of Kashmir earlier in the day.

The month of March had witnessed Pakistan breaching the ceasefire for the greatest number of times in the last two years, Reuters news agency has been reporting. Pakistan committed ceasefire violations 411 times in March, the highest in a single month since 2018. Last year, Pakistan had violated the ceasefire agreement in place 267 times, as per Indian Army data, as reported by Reuters.

The frequent violations come as the two densely populated south Asian countries are engaged in checking the spread of coronavirus, which has caused thousands of infections and dozens of deaths in both nations.