A Border Security Force (BSF) trooper was injured on Wednesday due to unprovoked firing from Pakistan along the international border (IB) in Jammu district.
The BSF further responded with appropriate measures, after which the firing from across the IB ceased. This incident marks a breach of the bilateral ceasefire agreement between India and Pakistan and comes as Jammu & Kashmir prepares for its Assembly elections, the first in a decade.
A BSF spokesman reported, “On September 11, unprovoked firing occurred in the Akhnoor area from across the border. The BSF retaliated effectively. One BSF personnel sustained injuries from the firing by Pakistan, and troops remain on high alert.”
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In response to the incident, security forces are maintaining heightened vigilance and employing aerial surveillance for added security.
However, the upcoming Assembly elections will commence on September 18, with eight constituencies in Doda, Kishtwar, and Ramban districts, as well as 16 seats in the south Kashmir districts of Anantnag, Pulwama, Shopian, and Kulgam, voting in the first phase. Jammu, Kathua, and Samba districts will cast their votes in the second and third phases on September 25 and October 1, respectively.
Recent months have seen a series of terrorist ambush attacks targeting the army, security forces, and civilians in the hilly districts of Poonch, Rajouri, Doda, Kathua, Reasi, and Udhampur. Reports further indicate that a group of 40 to 50 foreign terrorists may be responsible for these attacks. In response, the army has deployed over 4,000 trained soldiers, including elite Para commandos and specialists in mountain warfare, to the densely forested areas of these districts.
