Porter killed, girl injured in truce violation in Uri sector

Majid Jahangir

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, October 21

An Army porter was killed and a teenage girl was injured as Pakistan violated ceasefire along the Line of Control in the Uri sector in Baramulla district today, the Army said.

The Pakistani troops fired indiscriminately on several Indian posts at Kamalkote, Uri, over 110 km from Srinagar, at around 11 am and Indian soldiers also retaliated the fire. “A civilian porter, Abbas, 22, hailing from Kamalkote, employed with the Army in the Uri sector lost his life in the unprovoked firing by Pakistan,” an official said. “Our forces retaliated strongly.” An 18-year-old girl, Nasreena Bano, of Marian village was also injured in the Pakistani firing. “The girl was shifted to a hospital for treatment,” he said.

Local sources said a 45-year-old woman was also injured in the firing. The exchange of fire continued for over an hour and the two sides also used heavy calibre weapons.

This is the second ceasefire violation in the Uri sector in the past two months. On August 13, three soldiers were injured in Pakistani firing in the sector. Days later, one injured jawan succumbed to injuries. There has seen a spurt in ceasefire violations by Pakistan this year mostly in the Jammu region. According to government sources, Pakistan had violated ceasefire over 600 times — highest in a single year in the past one decade.