The firing also triggering an exchange of fire with BSF troops which was still going on when last reports came in.
“The Pakistani Rangers opened ‘sniper fire’ on a BSF constable guarding a border outpost along the International Border in Kanachak sector of Akhnoor tehsil in Jammu district around 0845 hours,” a senior BSF officer said.
As BSF troops tried to evacuate the injured jawan in a vehicle, they were heavily fired upon by Pakistani Rangers, he said.
The BSF troops took positions and retaliated, resulting in exchange of fire.The injured jawan Anjali Kumar has been hospitalized.
Pakistani Rangers also targeted civilian border areas by resorting to small arms firing and shelling of mortar bombs in Bhalwal Bharth, Malabela, Siderwan areas and BoPs at 0910 hours, a police officer said.
Three mortar shells landed deep inside Kanachak sector along the IB, they said. A 42-year-old woman identified as Poli Devi died in the mortar shelling while 24-year-old Ramesh Kumar and 38-year-old Udha Devi suffered injuries, he said.
The firing and shelling was resorted to by 21 Chenab Rangers (Pakistan) from their Azam, Peer Garana, Melabela- Stop on Siderwan and Malabela BoPs of BSF on this side.
The firing comes ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Jammu on July 17 to attend the centenary celebrations of former state Finance Minister Girdhari Lal Dogra. This is the seventh ceasefire violation by Pakistani troops this month.
On July 9, Pakistani troops had fired at a forward border post in North Kashmir killing a BSF jawan.
Earlier on July 7, Pakistani troops had fired on forward posts along the LoC in Poonch district in which one jawan was injured.
On July 6, Pakistani troops resorted to night-long firing and mortar shelling targeting six Border Out Posts (BoPS) and some villages along the Indo-Pak border in Arnia sector of Jammu district.
A BSF jawan was killed on July 5 in Pakistani firing along the LoC in Nougam sector in Kashmir Valley on July 5. On July 5 night, Pakistani Rangers had violated the ceasefire twice and also resorted to small arms firing on BoPs along IB in Arnia sector of Jammu district.
Ex-J&K cop shot dead by militants in Kulgam
A former police officer was shot dead by militants in Kulgam district of south Kashmir, the second attack by the ultras on civilians in the region within 12 hours, police said on Wednesday. Bashir Ahmad Dar, retired superintendent of police, was shot dead late last night near his residence in Ashmuji, 70 kms from here, a police official said. "At about 11.30 pm, some unknown militants fired upon the retired SP near his residence at Ashmuji in Kulgam," the official said. He said Dar was referred to SKIMS Hospital here but was declared dead on arrival. The attack on Dar was the second such incident yesterday in south Kashmir. Earlier yesterday, militants shot at and critically injured a Panch Mohammad Yaqoob Malla in nearby Shopian district.
Militants in failed bid to blow up J&K mobile tower
After a month-long lull in attacks on telecommunication facilities, suspected militants on Wednesday made an abortive attempt to blow up a mobile tower owned by a private cellular company in Baramulla district of north Kashmir. Two hand grenades were tossed by unidentified persons towards a mobile tower on the premises of land belonging to one Ghulam Hassan Bhat at Nihalpora in Pattan area, 30 kms from here, a police officer said. He said both grenades failed to explode and were subsequently neutralised by experts of the bomb disposal squad. Police assisted by security forces has launched a hunt to nab the attackers, the officer said.