Since January 1, truce along LoC breached 35 times

Jammu: The Pakistan army has violated the ceasefire along the Line of Control (LoC) 35 times since January 1. In 12 days, two Army men have been killed in attacks by Pakistani troops. They include Major Shashi Dharan V Nair of Pune and Rifleman Jivan Gurung of West Bengal. On Friday, the Pakistan army’s border action team planted two improvised explosive devices at two places in the Nowshera sector of Rajouri, in which Major Nair and Rifleman Gurung were killed. Porter Hem Raj of Rajouri was critically injured in a sniper attack in the Sunderbani sector and later succumbed. Lance Naik Sapan Mehra of 40 Rashtriya Rifles was killed in an avalanche along the LoC in the Saujiyan sector on January 2, while another soldier suffered grievous injuries in the incident. “Ceasefire violation by the Pakistan army has become a routine affair. Though we give a befitting reply, the provocation continues,” said an Army officer. Last year, the Pakistan army had violated truce over 1,800 times. tns