(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Pakistan Rangers yesterday opened indiscriminate firing along the international border in Jammu and Kashmir, killing five civilians and injuring 29 others in one of worst instances of ceasefire violations.
Officials said the Pakistan Army also violated the 2003 bilateral ceasefire in Poonch district of the state.
The border firing evoked a strong response from the government with Home Minister Rajnath Singh warning that "times have changed in India" and Defence Minister Arun Jaitley stating that forces were responding to each provocation.
A police official said in Jammu that five civilians, including a 15-year-old girl and her 50-year-old father, were killed in indiscriminate mortar shelling and automatic weapons firing from Pakistan in Arnia sub-sector of R S Pura.
"So far, 29 people, most of them civilians, have been injured in the ceasefire violation by Pakistan... The Pakistani Rangers are using mortars and automatic weapons in the attack," he said.
The injured were admitted to the Government Medical College and Hospital in Jammu.
Witnesses said Pakistani mortar shells had fallen inside the Arnia bus stand, which is more than four km away from the international border.
Senior civil and police officials rushed to Arnia to take stock of the situation.
Jammu Divisional Commissioner Shant Manu said: "We have already put in place a contingency plan to minimise civilians casualties. The situation is being closely monitored by us. I have visited the area in the morning. Firing exchanges have now stopped there."
Rajnath Singh told reporters in New Delhi that Border Security Force (BSF) Director General D K Pathak had apprised him of the situation.
He said Pakistan should stop violating the 2003 ceasefire in Jammu and Kashmir. "Pakistan should stop ceasefire violations. It should understand the reality that times have changed in India."
He asked Pathak to rush to the border areas of Jammu region where incidents of ceasefire violations have been reported.
Jaitley said the environment being created by Pakistan will not help in normalising relationship between the two countries.
He said the country's defence forces and paramilitary forces were "fully ready and were responding to each of their (Pakistan's) provocations".
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said Pakistan's indiscriminate cross-border firing only shows the neighbouring country's frustration over its failure to rake up the Kashmir issue.
The chief minister rushed to Jammu from Srinagar despite the Eid-ul-Adha festival to attend the cremation of the five civilians killed in mortar shelling by Pakistan.
"Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif tried to raise the pitch over Kashmir during his UN general assembly address. But he did not find any takers for his rant over Kashmir. It (Pakistan) is now showing its frustration by targeting civilian areas on our side of the border," Abdullah said.
Hours after the incident, the Pakistan Army opened unprovoked firing at Indian positions along the Line of Control in Poonch district, a defence ministry official said here.
"Pakistan Army violated the ceasefire in Bhimber Ghali area of the Line of Control by resorting to unprovoked firing at our positions," Defence Ministry spokesman Col Manish Mehta said.
"Pakistan Army is using mortars and automatics. Equal effective response of the unprovoked firing was given by our soldiers. No casualty is reported on our side," he said.
The Indian Army guards the LoC while paramilitary Border Security Force guards the international border in Jammu and Kashmir.
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