Pakistani troops heavily shelled border hamlets and army posts along the LoC with mortar bombs for the eleventh consecutive day in two sectors of Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district, which witnessed two fresh ceasefire violations from across the border on Wednesday.
The firing drew strong retaliation from the Indian army.
"Pakistan violated the ceasefire twice today by resorting to heavy shelling of 120 mm, 81 mm and 60 mm mortar bombs on civilian areas and army posts along the LoC in Hamirpur and Mendhar sectors of Poonch district, which started around 1.30 pm," a defence spokesman said.
"Our troops have been responding effectively and appropriately", the spokesperson said, adding that exchanges were on when the reports last came in from the area.
"The Indian army deployed in these forward post areas are giving a befitting reply and firing on forward areas of Pakistan, reportedly causing damage to them," he said, adding, no damage and casualty on our side has been reported so far.
There have been 50 violations of the border ceasefire agreement of 2003 by Pakistan in August and over 245 ceasefire violations during the year so far.
The spokesman said the Pakistan rangers had also resorted to firing on forward posts along the LoC in Balakote, Bhimbergali and Poonch sectors last night.
Firing from Pakistani side stopped around 10.00 pm hours in Balakote sector, whereas it ended around 11.30 pm hours in Poonch sector. In the BG sector, Pakistan carried out heavy mortar shelling and fired machine gun for almost nine hours, he said.
Expanding the arch of its targets, Pakistani troops had pounded civilian areas and military positions along the IB in R S Pura and Arnia sectors of Jammu district on intervening night of August 17-18, injuring a villager.
Pakistan had on Tuesday violated the ceasefire five times by targeting civilian hamlets with 120 mm, 82 mm and 60 mm mortar bombs along the IB and LoC in Poonch, Balakote, R S Pura, Hamirpur and Arnia sectors of Poonch and Jammu districts.
On the intervening night of August 16-17, Pakistan troops had resorted to ceasefire violations in Saujiyan and Mandi sectors of Poonch district and shelled forward posts and civilian areas with 120 mm and 82 mm mortar bombs and heavy machine guns.
On August 16, a woman was killed and five persons were injured as Pakistani troops fired 120 mm and 82 mm mortars bombs, HMGs and RPGs on border posts and civilian areas in Poonch and Rajouri districts.
There have been repeated ceasefire violations by Pakistan along the over 110 kms long borderline in Poonch, Sujiyan, Balakote, Hamirpur, Mandi sectors in Poonch district and Manjakote sector in Rajouri district between August 15 and 16.
On Independence Day, five civilians, including a sarpanch, were killed and five others injured in heavy firing and mortar bomb shelling by Pakistani troops at several Indian posts and civilian areas.
Last month, there were 19 ceasefire violations in which four persons, including three jawans, were killed and 14 others injured.
